Genius in the Background

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Genius in the Background By

Tibor Karolyi with Nick Aplin

Quality Chess .qualitychess.co. uk

ww

First English edition 2009 by Quality Chess UK LLP Copyright © 2009 Tibor Karolyi

&

Nick Aplin

Genius in the Background All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. ISBN 978- 1 9065 5 2-37-5 All sales or enquiries should be directed to Quality Chess UK LLP, 20 Balvie Road, Milngavie, Glasgow G62 7TA, United Kingdom e-mail: [email protected] website: ww.qualitychess.co. uk Distributed in US and Canada by SCB Distributors, Gardena, California, US ww.scbdistributors.com Distributed in Rest of the World by Quality Chess UK LLP through Sunrise Handicrafts, Smyczkowa 4/98, 20-844 Lublin, Poland Typeset by Jacob Aagaard Proofreading: Colin McNab Edited by Andrew Greet & Colin McNab Cover design by Adamson Design Cover photos courtesy of the 2005 World Championship organizers in San Luis Photos in the book courtesy ofTibor Karolyi and the subjects of the book Printed in Estonia by Tallinna Raamatutriikikoja LLC

Key to Symbols used

4

Preface by T ibor Karolyi

5

Chapter 1

Topalov's Junior Trainer

7

Chapter 2

Versatility

Chapter 3

A Gentleman

Chapter 4

Kasparov's Junior Trainer

113

Chapter 5

In Love with Chess until the End

148

Chapter 6

Kasparov's 'Half-Brother'

196

Chapter 7

The Endgame Expert

220

Chapter 8

The Man whose Life was Saved by Chess

260

Chapter 9

"When Garry played I was with him"

278

Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Index

highly respected and fondly remembered

The Stars of a developing Chess Nation The Moscow Magician

39 82

320 342 381

Key to symbols used �

a weak move

??

a blunder

!!

a good move an excellent move

.

!? �,

..

a move worth considering a move of doubtful value

#

mate

(n)

nth match game

--t

with an attack

t

with an initiative

N

new move

�

White is slightly better

i

Black is slightly better

±

White is better

+

Black is better

+-

White has a decisive advantage Black has a decisive advantage

-+ =

equality

CD

with compensation

+t

with counterplay

CD

unclear

Preface by Tibor Attila J6zsef, who died in 1 937, was one of Hungary's greatest ever poets, but while he was alive he received very little appreciation for his art. Andor Nemeth was one of his few close friends; he understood the high level of his art, but never expressed this to the poet. Years later, when J6zsef's poems had become part of Hungarian culture and were taught in every Hungarian school, and many streets had been named after him, Nemeth was asked why he had not expressed his ap preciation (J6zsef was longing for it) . He answered, "I am sorry, but when I beat somebody three times out of five at chess, I can't consider him a genius." Chess society has a similar problem; we only value the winners over the board. Yes, champions have the greatest impact on the game, and they deserve enormous respect for their legacy, but the personalities who did not score so well should also enjoy our respect. I am fortunate in that I have already had the chance to write about Judit Polgar, Garry Kasparov, and Anatoly Karpov - altogether five books, four of them with Nick Aplin. The chance to analyse and portray the creations of these chess giants naturally made me appreciate their play very much. Although I will always remain proud of these books, there have of course been countless other articles and publications devoted to the achievements of these and other famous chess players. At the same time, I know of several other chess personalities who have accomplished a great deal, yet remain unknown to the great majority of chess fans. Therefore the idea occurred to me to write a book devoted to these unknown talents. By doing so, I hoped to create a book that would be truly unique in its subject matter, and would enable the chess public to become acquainted with a selection of lesser known but still outstanding personalities. I was happy that when I mentioned the idea to my co-author Nick Aplin, he was immediately enthusiastic about it. Most of the people featured in this book have recorded significant achievements, yet they remain virtually anonymous to the great majority of chess fans. A few of them are known amongst cer tain segments of the chess world, but none are known as widely as I believe they deserve to be. Some are still alive, while others, I am sorry to say, are no longer with us. Some I know or knew well, and others I have never met. All have made their unique contributions to the world of chess, and all have their own - sometimes very moving - stories. Instead of simply writing about each individual in a routine way, I took a couple of additional steps that I believe have added significantly to the value of each chapter. Wherever possible, I conducted interviews (some in person, and others by e-mail) with the featured individuals, which have subsequently been reproduced within the text. I hope that after reading them the reader will feel as though he has got to know the person at least a little better than before. Secondly, I asked a number of strong players, some of whom are simply legendary in chess, to write a short appraisal of the individuals included here. I never expected to receive so many contributions from so many great players! I found this response tremendously gratifying, and believe it underlines the value of the book.

6

Genius in the Background

Your author, who is first of all a junior trainer who desires to pass on knowledge, believes that getting acquainted with these remarkable chess personalities will deepen anyone's understanding of our game. I knew from the outset it would be difficult to decide which individuals to feature in the book. There are doubtlessly a great number of worthy candidates - including plenty that remain un known to this author. I wanted to include people who excelled in different areas of chess. Thus over the course of the book the reader will become acquainted with outstanding chess players, junior trainers, study composers, as well as a few individuals who made significant achievements in more than one of these categories. There were a few candidates who, through no fault of their own, did not make the final cut. For instance, I considered the possibility of devoting chapters to the great Nona Gaprindashvili and the late incomparable Tony Miles, but eventually decided that the inclusion of such well known players would be inconsistent with the overall scheme of the book. Naturally, the choice was influenced by my personal relationships with some of the featured play ers. A different author may, quite legitimately, have presented a very different selection of sub jects. But thinking in terms of the value that I can offer as an author, it is obvious that I can write a far more fitting tribute to a person whom I know extremely well, as opposed to a total stranger. Of course, there were certain individuals whose accomplishments were so impressive that I felt compelled to include them in the book, despite never having met them in person. In the end, the final choice of player selection was always going to rely on a certain amount of subjective judge ment. I am happy with the choices I made, and I hope that the reader will agree. All that remains is to thank you for reading this book. I hope by the time you reach the end, you will agree that these people are indeed remarkable and enduring chess personalities. Tibor Karolyi Soltvadkert, Hungary October 2009

Chapter 1

Petko Atanasov

Topalov's Junior Trainer

Veselin Topalov in the middle, Petko Atanasov on the right In 2005, Veselin Topalov dominated top-level chess in a way that very few have done before. Not many world champions have had a year like he did. Topalov went from being a strong contender to an undisputed star, and the same happened to his manager for many years, Silvio Danailov. And yet, of all the chess people I have asked, there has not been a single one who knew the name of his junior trainer. Actually, I think hardly anybody knows who Petko Atanasov is and what he has contributed to chess, while everybody has heard of Danailov, and knows the successes he has achieved together with Topalov. This is not only unfair to Atanasov, but damaging for chess in general. We cannot expect the high level of junior coaching we have seen in the 20th Century to continue, when we do not reward or recognize the effort of the trainers. (It is therefore pleasing to see the very positive words of acknowledgement from both Topalov and Danailov about Atanasov at the end of this chapter.) It is no laughing matter that Hungary, with a long tradition of great players - Maroczy, Szabo, Portisch, Ribli, the Polgar sisters and most recently Peter Leko, does not currently have a world top twenty player in the under-20 age group in either the boys or the girls section. At the latest World Youth Championships, played in twelve different age groups, Hungary only achieved a single tenth place. And the years before were no better. The lack of dedicated and motivated trainers is creating this crisis. Obviously the Hungarian situation is worse than most, but my travels have confirmed that the situation is deteriorating in many other countries as well. For example, the Bulgarian juniors are not doing well at these championships either.

8


Undoubtedly Veselin Topalov is a rare talent with a number of special qualities required to become a great player. (Actually I think he has the most professional attitude of all the world champions. Kasparov sometimes wasted energy on politics, whereas Topalov has been able to focus on chess continuously.) But the career of a champion does not start with his victories, but with his first moves as a junior; in the case of To palov, in the Bulgarian city Ruse. This was where he met Atanasov. Atanasov was born in the village of Karan Varbovka, outside Ruse, in 1 948 . In 1 95 5 his family moved to Ruse to look for a better quality of life. It was at this point that he learned to play chess in school. There were many chess tournaments there and back then chess was a very popular 'sport' (sport for the masses, as it was known under Communism) . Thus he encountered our ancient game and took his first lessons.

Who was your own trainer? "There were no professional trainers at that time. All studies and competitions were amateur. My first trainer was an ambitious amateur chess player - Nikola Chervenovodski. He advised me how and what I must learn from chess theory. He also gave me chess books that were very hard to find during those times." I checked the database -you were a goodjunior player. How many times didyou represent Bulgaria? "During the period 1 963-66, I was the national junior champion (under 20 years) of Bulgaria 3 times. For some reason, most probably political, I did not take part in world junior events. As a student I participated in three world championships. The first was in Austria in 1 968 - the team took the fourth place. I won the board prize on third board with 9Y2/ 1 2 points. (See the game against Marangunic in the games section on page 1 7. ) At my second Student Olympiad in Dresden in 1 969 the Bulgarian team finished third. I was the second best on second board with 9 Y2/ 1 4. (See the game against Lombard in the games section, page 19. ) Finally, I played for the Bulgarian national team at the Under-26 team World Championships in Graz, Austria, in 1 972. We took fifth place. On board three I scored 9 points from 1 4 games." Who was your trainer when you were a junior? "Unfortunately in this period there wasn't any particular player around to have a big influence over my maturation as a chess player. My opponents took on this role. First of all I raised my chess level with self-training - learning from the games of popular chess players." Who are yourfavourite players - do you have any particular chess icon? "My favourite player is Mikhail Tal. He is an exceptional fighter and a distinctive chess talent. As a person and a professional, Tal is unique right up to the present day!" were you a chess professional? "From 1 976- 1 99 1 I was professional chess trainer at the 'Dunav' (Danube) chess club in Ruse."

Chapter

1

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Petko Atanasov

9

Do you have a 'best' game? Which was your best tournament? "I like my Dueball game from Dresden. (It can be found on page 20 in the games section. ) There was a regular 'Kamen Piskov' Memorial in Ruse. In 1 983 I was the winner and maybe this was my b est tournament. " What do you think is the best part ofyour chess? "My strong point in chess is the middlegame. This is because the books that I read were mostly about chess combinations." ( The games against Ilivski and Peev from the games section show this excellently. ) How didyou develop your endgame play? "For several years I devoted my time very intensively to the endgame. From my long experience in chess, I have come to the conclusion that young players must learn the endgame in detail in order to absorb fundamental knowledge about chess." ( The games against Lalic and Gazis in the games section show the benefits ofthis approach. ) When didyou start working with Topalov? "I started to work with Veselin in 1 986. I did not know him personally until his mother came to me and entrusted me to take him into my group. At that time I was teaching a group of advanced children between 1 2- 1 4 years old. He was about ten years old. For a ten-year-old boy he had the necessary basic chess knowledge. But he did not know the higher chess rules: observing the basic principles and laws, building a strong strategy in a given game. In the beginning Veselin wasn't so different from the rest of the children in the group. But after two years of work with him, he had changed a lot. In order to become a very good chess player you need to acquire two things: chess knowledge and chess thought. The second characteristic is very important and it's hard to perfect someone's level of expertise in this area. The chess thought factor demands many hours at the chessboard, many hours analysing specific positions. I then realized that this boy had enormous potential and that his future was in professional chess. With much effort I persuaded his mother to agree to send him to a sport school rather than to a school for foreign languages. This gave him a much better chance to develop himself as chess player." In what ways did you work with him? How many sessions did you have with him per week, and how long did the sessions last? "Veselin undertook exercises lasting 2 hours three times a week in the beginning. Gradually his training time was increased. When he started to learn in sport school, I trained him individually. We had exercises every day and weekly we had to have about 30-36 hours." Any memorable game he played when you were coaching him? "Vesko participated for the first time in an international tournament 'Albena' when he was 1 1 years old. He produced a very good result." Here is one of his victories in the tournament:

10


Veselin Topalov - Dimitar Marholev

8 7

Albena 1986

l .e4 e5 2.tLla tLlc6 3 . .ib5 .ic5 4.0-0 tLlf6 5.c3 tLlxe4 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 .ib6 8.d5 tLle7 9.�e2 f5 10.tLlc3 tLlxc3 l 1 .bxc3 0-0 1 2 ..ig5 .ic5 13J�adl h6 14.d6! hxg5 15.tLlxg5 g6 1 6.�e5 c6 17.dxe7 �xe7 1 8 . .ic4t d5

6 5 4 3 2

(diagram)

1

1 9J��xd5! �xe5 20J�xe5t �g7 2 1 .gxc5 1 -0

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What openings didyou teach him? "In the beginning his opening repertoire was very modest. With White we trained with l .d4 and had various schemes to meet Black's defences. With Black against 1 .d4 we practised the Old Indian Defence. We practised the French Defence against 1 .e4, but later he refused to play it and started to play the Sicilian Defence instead. When his rating increased Vesko started to play l .e4 and l .ttJf3 and many more openings." Did you notice you often sacrifice the exchange? He is known for that as well. Did you work on it together? "The sacrifice of material (a pawn or even a piece) is a basic part of any chess combination. Of course I have in my practice many such examples. From the beginning Veselin coordinated the interaction between queen and minor pieces perfectly. A sacrifice of the exchange was his basic tactical approach." As you will see in the games section, Atanasov is fond of sacrificing the exchange, something that has become a trademark tool of To palov's. The following example is remarkable:

8

Veselin Topalov - Gata Kamsky

7

Sofia 2006

6

(diagram)

5 4 3 2 1 a

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26.e6! .ixe6 27.gxe6!! fxe6 29.�d3 �h7 30.ge5 tLlf6 32 ..ie4 �f7 33 ..ic2 gad8 35 . .ia5 �d4 36 . .ic3 �c4 38 ..ixe6t �e8 39.�g2 gf8 41 ..if5 gf7 42.gxe7t 1-0

28.gel 3 1 .�e3 34.�h6 37 ..ib3 40.�g7

�d7 �g7 gg8 �d3 gd5

Chapter

1

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Petko Atanasov

11

What was he like as a boy? ''As a boy Vesko made an impression with his modesty and friendly behaviour with his contemporaries. He was polite and I never saw him argue except about chess questions - we argued about those every day!" When you look at Topalov's games, do you see motifs you taught him when he was young? Does he still use some ofyour weapons? "His style of chess has changed itself a lot lately. Strong chess programs give enormous possibilities for professional players. Looking back 20 years I see that our knowledge from that time looks too primitive now. But I still see even now part of my work realized in games of Veselin." Can you recall any interesting stories about him? "Every year in Varna there was a national championship for children under 1 2, 1 4 and 1 6 years. Trainers were not allowed into the hall where the children were playing, so one day I sent one of my youngest students to see how Vesko's game was going. Mter a short time he came back, out of breath, and said: 'Pesko has one extra veshka! "'* *To understand the joke, a brief translation is required. In Bulgarian "Vesko" {a friendly, informal version of the name Veselin} and "peshka" {the word for "pawn"} are very similar in pronunciation. In his excitement, the young student changed the first letters of these two words. Thus the meaning of the new sentence is: The pawn has one extra Vesko!

Is there any word or saying he specially liked to use? "Veselin was extremely staid as a young chess player and often took his losses very philosophically. Sometimes I was extremely angry about a loss because of a gross error or some not very well considered move. I said, 'How can you play this move? How can you lose this winning game?' He looked at me and said, seemingly calmly, 'What can we do? This is what happens!'" What is yourfavourite Topalov game? "For some time I have been out of touch with chess. I do not have an idea about all Veselin's games. From the games I have seen, his victory over Kasparov in the Sicilian Defence is the best." The game is indeed majestic!

Topalov - Kasparov Amsterdam 1996

l.e4 c5 2.tLla d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 tLlfG 5.tLlc3 a6 6.i.c4 Topalov played the Sozin attack rarely - just in three games in 1 996. He uses 6.i.e3 most often. Interestingly he has won more than half of his games with the English Attack, losing only a few times. He also enjoyed many successes on the black side of this system {much like Kasparov, in fact} .

12

Genius i n the Background

Two years earlier Topalov won a nice game against none other than Kasparov in this complicated, highly tactical, line: 6.i.e3 e6 7.g4 h6 8.f4 lLlc6 9.i.e2 e5 1 0.lLlf5 g6 l 1 .lLlg3 exf4 1 2.i.xf4 i.e6 1 3J�fl .!c8 1 4.h3 'lWb6 1 5 .'lWd2 i.g7 1 6.i.xd6 lLlxg4 1 7.i.xg4 'lWxb2

2 1 .g3 @b8

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1 8 .e5! lLlxe5 1 9 . .!b l 'lWxc3 20.'lWxc3 .!xc3 2 1 .i.xe6 fxe6 22 . .!xb7 lLlc4 23 .i.b4 .!e3t 24.lLle2 i.e5 25 . .!£f7 .!xh3 8 7 5 4 3 1 a

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26.lLld4 .!e3t 27.@fl .!e4 28 . .!fe7t @d8 29.lLlc6t 1 -0, Topalov - Kasparov, Moscow (01) 1 994. 6 ... e6 7 ..ib3 tLlbd7 8.£4 tLlc5 9.0-0 This move is well-known, although 9.f5 , 9.'lWf3 and 9.e5 are all more popular. Earlier the same year Veselin beat Anand with 9.e5. That game went: 9 . . . dxe5 1 O.fxe5 lLlfd7 1 1 .i.f4 b5 1 2.'lWe2 i.b7 1 3.0-0-0 'lWb6 1 4.@b l i.e7 1 5 .h4 0-0-0 1 6.a3 lLlb8 1 7.i.e3 lLlc6 1 8 .i.a2 lLlxd4 1 9.i.xd4 'lWc6 20 . .!hfl .!hf8

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22 . .!f4! f5 23.exf6 gxf6 24.b4 e5 25.bxc5 .!xd4? 26 . .!fxd4 exd4 27.'lWxe7 .!e8 28.'lWf7 1 -0, Topalov - Anand, Wijk aan Zee 1 996. 9 tLlcxe4 Kasparov goes for the pawn, not the bishop. 1 0.tLlxe4 tLlxe4 1 1 .£5 e5 1 2.�h5 �e7?! Kasparov played this move earlier in an exhibition game. Two rounds later Nigel Short deviated from this game with 1 2 . . . d5! . There followed 1 3 . .!e l i.c5 1 4 . .!xe4 i.xd4t 1 5 .i.e3 ( 1 5 .@h l was the later trend. White has scored well by stepping out of the check.) 1 5 . . . 0-0 1 6 . .!xd4 exd4 1 7.i.xd4 f6. In this position Topalov was not able to find enough play for the exchange he had sacrificed, Topalov - Short, Amsterdam 1 996. 13.�f3 tLlc5 •..

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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Chapter

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I4.tLlc6!! The knight starts its tango, and Kasparov never manages to tame it. Apart from being pleasing to the eye, the fact that the knight can aim at two or three different invasion squares makes this move all the more stunning. Opening the position with 1 4.f6? would not work for White: 1 4 . . . gxf6 1 5 .ttJc6 Vi!c7 1 6.Vi!xf6 ttJxb3 1 7.axb3 ( 1 7.Vi!xhB ttJxd !) 17 .. J�gB I B .ttJdB ih3 Black wins. I4 ...�c7 I 5 ..id5! Topalov saves his bishop. Chess is a beautiful game - here White's ultimate goal is to transfer his knight to d5, and yet first he puts his bishop on that very same square! 1 5 .ttJb4?! ttJxb3 Unfortunately for White the knight on b4 is unprotected. White must take back with the queen, giving up the long diagonal. 1 6.Vi!xb3 b5! 1 7.ttJd5 Vi!c6 I B .ie3 White has some compensation, but not enough for an advantage. I5 ... a5?! In such positions, involving a pawn sacrifice for the initiative, Kasparov is used to being on the other side of the board. Now he chooses an artificial defensive plan on the edge of the board. The idea is to cut off the knight's line of retreat, but it is risky not to develop when he is already lagging behind in that department. 1 5 . . . id7 1 6.ttJb4ie7! ( 1 6 . . . Vi!b6? 1 7.ixf7t!! wins with ttJd5 and Vi!h5 to follow) 1 7.ic4 ( 1 7.ixf7t? @xf7 I B .ttJd5 Vi!dB 1 9.Vi!h5 t @gB) 17 . . .ic6 I B .ttJd5 White's control over the light squares gives him decent compensation, but everything is still to play for. I6 ..ig5!! This is the result of excellent preparation. Now it will be hard for Black to develop his kingside. The theory up to this point went like this: 1 6.ie3 �a6 1 7.ttJd4 exd4 I B .ixd4 with an unclear position in Spanish TV - Kasparov, 1 990. I6 .. J�a6?

13

Petko Atanasov

Garry, who is such a brilliant attacker, fails to find the best defence in this very complicated and unusual position. In his book My Great Predecessors Kasparov wrote on Fischer: " . . . once again confirming that such irrational positions were not his forte." Interestingly Garry did not, as far as I can see, make a similar remark about any other former champion. But who does play these types of positions as well as the more rational ones? All humans learn from previous experience. Kasparov could have stayed in the game by trying to catch up in development by 1 6 . . . id7!, which still gives a playable position:

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a) 1 7.ttJd4? f6 I B .Vi!h5t @dB 1 9.ttJe6t ttJxe6! 20.fxe6 ieB Black wins according to Topalov. b) 1 7.f6?! Inserting this pawn move gave up the e6-square. 1 7 . . . g6 I B .ttJe7 ttJe6! Black gets himself together. c) 1 7.ttJe7!! The future world champion demonstrated an amazing continuation. Probably this was his prepared move. Topalov's knight move is magical yet Black can stay in the game. d ) 1 7 . . . f6 I B .Vi!h5t @xe7 ( 1 B . . . @dB ?! 1 9. ttJg6) 1 9 .ixf6t! gxf6 ( 1 9 . . . @xf6?? 20. Vi!h4t) 20.Vi!f7t @dB 2 1 .Vi!xf6t @cB 22.Vi!xhB Vi!dB 23 .f6 h6 Black objectively may not be worse, but it is not easy to live with the f6-pawn. c2) 1 7 . . . ixe7!

14


The winner of the game gave a question mark to this move, but it provides a reasonable defence. 1 8 .�xe7 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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1 8 . . .f6!! This move, in conjunction with Black's next, is a stunning resource. After 1 8 . . . mxe7? 1 9.f6t md8 20.fxg7 E!:e8 2 1 .�xf7 wins. And in the case of 1 8 . . . �b6 1 9.f6! g6 20.mh l White is better because of his strong e7bishop. 1 9.�g4 �e6!! It is hard to criticize even Kasparov for failing to spot this astonishing defence. 20.�xe6 20.�xd6 �xd6 2 1 .�xe6 CDxe6 22.fxe6 �d4t The endgame is equal. 20 . . . �xe7 2 1 .�d5 It is a matter of taste who prefers White and who Black in this position. The chances are roughly balanced.

17.tLld8!! What an unexpected way to attack the f7pawn in the opening! In addition to the obvious route to d5 via b4, and the more spectacular lunge to e7 as seen in the above note, we now see that White's brilliant 1 4th move prepared a third, most deadly knight move. As a result of Topalov's spectacular and imaginative play in the opening Kasparov is already lost. 17 ... f6 1 8.tLlf7 �g8 1 9.�e3 g6 20.tLlgS! The sixth move by the knight not only wins material, but also breaks apart the enemy pawn chain. Kasparov was probably hoping for 20.CDxe5 dxe5 2 1 .�xg8 �xf5 when Black has good chances to consolidate his position. 20... �g7 20 . . . fxg5 2 1 .f6! E!:h8 22.f7t md8 23 .�xg5t wins. 2 1 .fxg6 2 1 .CDxh7 E!:xh7 22.fxg6 E!:g7 23.�xf6 was winning as well. 2 1 . .. �xg6 2 1 . . .hxg6 22.�xf6 �e7 23.�f2 Topalov's suggestion is not the only win but it is probably the simplest. 23 . . . �f5 24.E!:ae 1 wins. 8 7 6 5 4

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22.�f7t This wins the queen, after which the game is effectively over. Topalov may not have forced resignation in the most efficient way possible, but the result was never in doubt.

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Chapter

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Petko Atanasov

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22 WI'xf7 23.fLlxf7 c;t;>xf7 24.he5 dxe5 25J��adl i.e7 26J:�d5 i.g4 27.WI'e4 c;t;>g7 2SJUdi hdl 29J��xdl ge6 30.WI'fS c;t;>f7 3 1 .ge1 b6 32.h4 gg7 33.c;t;>f1 i.d6 34.c;t;>f2 i.e7 35.c;t;>a c;t;>e7 36.ge4 c;t;>f7 37.gg4! ge7 3S.c;t;>e4 gxg4t 39.WI'xg4 i.dS 40.a4 c;t;>f8 41 .e3 gg7 42.WI'eS c;t;>eS 43.WI'e6t c;t;>f8 44.g4 gf7 45.h5 gg7 46.h6 ggG 47.WI'd5 i.e7 4S.c;t;>fS gxh6 49.WI'b7 e4 50.WI'bSt c;t;>f7 5 1 .WI'xb6 e3 52.WI'e6t c;t;>eS 53.WI'xe3 ggG 54.WI'e4 gg5t 55.c;t;>f4 c;t;>d7 56.WI'b7t c;t;>e6 57.WI'eSt c;t;>f7 5S.WI'e7 h5 59.gxh5 gxh5 60.WI'xa5 i.d6t 6 1 .c;t;>e4 fSt 62.c;t;>d5 i.e7 63.WI'e7 gh6 64.a5 gd6t 65.c;t;>e5 gf6 66.WI'eS 1-0 •••

In this game Topalov demonstrated courage, imagination and terrific preparation against the strongest opening specialist of all time. Incidentally there were only two players who were able to trouble Kasparov's Najdorf on a consistent basis: Topalov and later Leko, who was able to put the world number one in difficult situations several times. But against Leko, unlike against Veselin, Garry survived those troublesome games. While I was working on the book Kasparov's Fighting Chess 1993-1998, I noticed that after the above game Garry kept exchanging queens and playing very safe against the Bulgarian grandmaster, after which he started to score very well. Maybe it is symbolic that in their last game in Linares 200 5 , Topalov beat him in an endgame. After that game Kasparov retired and Topalov started to fly and completed a journey to the top, which was magical even by the standards of his fellow world champions. For a player to accomplish so much, everything must have fallen into place. Reflecting on Leko's career, it was important that I had played Kasparov at the 1 980 World Junior Championship and discovered first-hand how incredible he was. I understood the might of the adversary Leko would eventually have to face, and forced both myself and Peter to work extremely hard. Silvio Danailov also took part in that event and he was tremendously fascinated by Kasparov. I suspect that this experience may have also contributed to Topalov's development.

How is your relationship with Topalov since he moved to Spain? "In 1 99 1 there were big changes in Bulgaria and in my life too. Sport societies were cleared away and I was thrown out of work. At the same time I built my own apartment and the problems grew every day. Exactly at this critical moment Silvio Danailov made an offer to Vesko to leave for Spain. From this moment it was clear that there was no future for our partnership. Although we have met over the years there has not been any room for speaking about further teamwork." Do people know you in Bulgaria and especially in Ruse? "I cannot say that I'm very well-known, but still there are people that know me as a chess player and respect me as a trainer. I have many students that aren't world champions like Vesko, but thanks to chess they have had a chance to become excellent specialists in other fields diplomats, computer specialists, scientists etc." Are you a still a chess coach or do you have an ordinary job? Do you have any good students these days? "Unfortunately I have not been a coach for a long time. In 1 993 the sport society 'Dunav' was closed. Since that I have had many jobs of various types in different places. Now I'm unemployed."

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How many children do you have? Any ofthem play chess? "I have two children - a son and a daughter. My son played chess in his early years, but after that he started to learn about computers and chess has remained in second place." Does Bulgaria have any special under-14 players? "During the big changes in Bulgaria the foundation for chess development were annihilated. From time to time there are children who wish to learn chess as private students. But they give up very fast because they must pay for this themselves and usually they don't have enough money." Do they invest money into junior chess or just the big Sofia event? "No one gives money for junior chess in Bulgaria! Only some people with bigger financial opportunities try to support chess, but this is unprofitable for them and they give up very soon. There is a boy in Ruse - Marian Boichev, who was second in the World Under- 1 4 Championship some years ago. Now he is going to give up chess." How do you judge the big changes Bulgaria went through? "I personally evaluate the big chan ges - economic and political - as negative. Thousands of Bulgarians, most of them young people, left the country. There is widespread unemployment, small salaries, corruption and criminality. This is what we have after the changes up to now." Any regrets for the past and dreams for thefuture? ''I'm already 6 1 years old. Looking back and considering my life, 1 see that there are many things to regret. But most tragic is that my future promises to be very hard."

The downward spiral of chess training Let me begin by showing a game between two of the world's most brilliant players.

Judit Polgar - Veselin Topalov World Cup (blindfold) 2007

l .e4 e5 2.liJa liJc6 3.Ab5 a6 4.Aa4 liJf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Ab3 Ac5 7.c3 d6 8.d4 Ab6 9.Ae3 0-0 10.liJbd2 h6 1 1 .�e1 liJg4 1 2.liJf1 liJxe3 13.liJxe3 �b8 14.Ad5 (diagram) 14 ... Ag4?? 1 5.liJxg4 1-0 This is quite incredible and desperately disappointing.

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Petko Atanasov

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In chess there is money for senseless things like blindfold chess if the stars are playing. I do not understand why sponsors give money for things like blindfold events when superb trainers like Atanasov are not able to continue nurturing the next generation of champions. Kasparov's junior trainer also no longer trains juniors. The number of books Dvoretsky writes suggests that he also does not work much as a trainer. Maybe he gives a few lectures here and there, but I have not seen him at any world junior championship with a pupil in the last 1 5 years. Giving a lecture for a few hours is not the same as training. I do not know whether Kramnik or Anand had a junior trainer. If they did, do they still train pupils? Simon Agdestein, who was Carlsen's junior trainer, excelled in both football and dancing. Most other trainers, who have helped to develop a current world-class player, are probably not as versatile as the Norwegian grandmaster. How many of them are unemployed like Atanasov and how many of them are struggling to make ends meet? I certainly know at least two such people who are concerned about their existence. I think that the present situation in chess does not serve the best interests of many players, whether they are male or female. In Judit's case, her achievements have been unique partly because she is a lady, but conceivably she could have reached an even higher level against her male rivals. She has the talent and the opportunity as well. Earning money by playing blindfold chess is understandable, but this form does not provide her with the sort of preparation that is necessary for competing at world championship level. The saddest thing is that no matter how successful a chess player becomes, the person who trained them as a junior will always find it difficult to earn enough to be able to continue coaching. I would like to stress that the other players I have mentioned are all amazing talents, they deserve a lot of appreciation and respect, as well as the financial rewards that come with success. Returning to the case of To palov, one can only speculate as to how much his fantastic career has to do with the training he received as a junior. But it seems to me that, at the very least, the identity of his trainer should be known in the chess world.

Games Section Petko Atanasov Srdjan Marangunic -

World Student Championship, Ybbs 1968

l .e4 c6 2.d4 ltlfG 3.ltlc3 g6 4.�g5 d6 5.�d2 This is a dangerous system. 5 ... b5 6.�d3 �g7 7.f4 a6 8.ltla �c7 Black is employing a set-up that can be used against almost anything White plays. 9.0-0 0-0 This is a necessary precaution; otherwise the king might be caught in the centre. 10.e5 ltld5 1 0 . . . b4! ? is also a standard answer in a position like this.

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1 1 .�ae1! tiJxc3 12.bxc3! Stren gthens the centre. 12 ... f6 1 2 . . J�a7!? looks a bit funny but maybe it is still a reasonable move. 13.exf6 exf6 14 ..th4 .th6 1 5 ..tg3!? This is an interesting response to Black's somewhat unusual way of holding back White. 1 5 ....tg4 1 6.tiJh4!? The knight move looks a bit weird, but the move has a witty idea. It prevents the b8-knight from going to d7, as the bishop on g4 would be short of squares. 1 6 Wlf7 17.Wle3 .td7 1 7 . . . ttJd7 1 8 .h3 �fe8 1 9.'�f2 ih5 and the bishop is awkward at the edge of the board. •..

23 . . . c5 or 23 . . . a5 were more attractive. 24.c4 h7! 37.�d3t 5 3S.�d4 f6 39.tDxf6t

helped by his weak back rank, which prevents him from activating his rook along the third rank. 40.tDxd5 ,ie6 41 .�b6 c:.t>f7 42.gel gfeS 43.�c7t gd7 44.�e5 gxd5! The only winning move, but fortunately it was not too hard to find. 0-1 In the next game Atanasov starts out aggressively, but then executes a masterful positional crush.

Petko Atanasov - Dimitar Ilievski Ruse 1 978

l .e4 c5 2.tDB d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tDxd4 tDf6 5.tDc3 a6 6.,ic4 e6 7.,ib3 ,ie7 S.f4 �c7?! This is a bit too slow here. 8 7 6 5 4

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39 ... c:.t>g6 Black's king is somewhat exposed, but he wins because of his extra rook. White is not

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9.5! Atanasov wastes no time in commencing the attack. 9 ... e5 This weakens d5, but there was not much else to do. I O.tDB!? In the vast majority of the games from this position, White has retreated with the knight to e2, intending to come to c3 and d5 later.

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This plan has scored very well, but Atanasov has a different idea in mind. He wants to launch an attack on the kingside and decides that the knight will be more useful on f3. 1 0 ... tilbd7 l 1 .g4 �e6 With hindsight, it was probably better to play 1 1 . . .h6!, preventing White from gaining further space on the kingside. 12.�e2 tile5 13.g5! tilxb3 14.axb3 The alternative 1 4.cxb3!?, intending to play on the c-file, was interesting as well. 14 ... tild7 15.i.e3 tile5

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20 .. J�e8 2 1 .�d3 i.b5 22.e4 i.d7 23.�c1! a5 Black has to try to keep the queens ide closed. If 23 . . . Vfc6 24.c5 ! , while 23 . . . ic6 could be met by 24.b4!. 24.tile3 i.e6 25.�edl i.e7 26.g6! This weakens the black king and isolates the h5-pawn. 26 ... f6 8 7 6

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16.he5! By exchanging pieces, White eliminates another potential defender of the d5-square. 16 ... �xe5 1 7.0-0-0 i.d7 1 8.tild5 White has clearly gained the upper hand in the opening. At the same time Black's position is still solid and certainly will not fall apart on its own. 18 ...i.d8 1 9.h4! White plans to increase his advantage by gaining space on the kingside. 19 ... h5 20.�bl Black can hardly contemplate castling short, so now Petko plans to build up his position on the queenside. Opening the kingside with 20.gxh6 was also very promising: 20 .. J�xh6 2 1 .b4 Vfc6 22J%hg l �h7 23.h5 and White has terrific play.

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27.�d5!! This is another lovely exchange sacrifice. White needs to play like this in order to invade. 27 ...hd5 In the long term Black cannot avoid taking the rook. For instance: 27 . . . Vfb4 28.@c2 (White is also better after 28.Vfc2 ib8 29.ttJe l ) 28 . . . ib8 (28 . . . a4 29.bxa4) 29.�al Black cannot avoid the type of position he gets in the game. 28.�xd5! Taking back this way really chokes Black. 28 ...�e6 29.tilel! Atanasov improves all his pieces. 29 ... i.b6 30.�dl �e7 3 1 .�b5 Forcing Black to decide where to put the bishop. 3 1 . ..i.e5 32.tild3! i.d4 Black gives up a pawn. Holding onto it with 32 . . . b6 was not possible: 33.ttJxc5 bxc5 34.�b6! Vfd7 3 5 .Vfd5 wins.

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33.tLld5t f7 28 . . . @h7!? Interestingly bringing White's rook to the open file gives a better opportunity to resist. 29.�h4t @g7 30J%gl t @f7 3 1 .�xf2t @e8 32.�d2 b4!! White is of course much better, but the openness of his king means that the win is not automatic. 33.cxb4 �fl t 34J:hfl �xfl t 3 5 .@c2 �c4t 36.�c3 �xa2 Black still has some drawing chances. 29.'iNxflt c;t>e8

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37.�xb5 A cleaner route to victory was: 37.ctJc6t! @f8 37 . . . @d7 38.ctJxa7 �xh2t 39.@d3 @e7 40.ctJxb5 @f8 4 1 .�gl �xa2 42.ctJd6 wins. 38.�g2 ie8 38 . . . a6 39.ctJb8 d4 40.cxd4 �a3 4 1 .@c1 wins. 39.�f2t! @g8 40.ctJd4 40.ctJxa7 is more complicated. 40 . . . id7 4 1 .a4 bxa4 42.b5 d4 43 .cxd4 �b3 44.�g2t

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�f7 45 J�g3 White has good winning chances. 4o . . . id7 4 1 .ctJf3 The win is no longer in doubt. 37.. J�xh2t 3S.e3 m 39J�gl �xa2 40.ltld6 .ieS After 4o . . . ih5 4 1 .�h l ig6 42.�fI t �e7 43 .�gl ie8 (43 . . . ih5 44.�g5) 44.�g7t r;t>f8 45.�c7, although Black has no material disadvantage, his position is very difficult. 41 .�hl .igG 42.�hSt e7 In the game the king comes under heavy fire; 42 . . . �g7!? was troublesome positionally but the king would not have been caught. 43.�a8 (or 43.�c8) 43 . . . ih5 44.�d4 White is much better. 43.�gS .ih5 44.�g5 .idl 45.�g7t dS 46. d4 �d2t

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53.b5 There are few pawns left on the board, but Black's king is still in big trouble. In the end the mating threats combined with the advancing e-pawn prove too much for him. 53 ... .ic2t 54.g5 m 55.�c7 .ib3 56.ltld6 �a4 57.f6 �f4t 5S.ltlfS �gS 59.e6 �e4 60.ltlh6t hS 6 1 .ltlf7t �gS 62.�cSt 1-0

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The next game, taken from the following year, features some attractive endgame ideas.

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Petko Atanasov - Efstathios Gazis

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47.�c5 The active king decides the outcome. 47... d4 4S.ltlb7t! Taking the pawn while keeping mating chances is the best practical decision. White could also allow the d-pawn to become passed with 48.c4!? if3 (48 . . . d3 49.ctJe4 �a2 50.ctJc3 �d2 5 1 .�d6 wins) 49.ctJb5 d3 50.�d6 r;t>c8 (50 . . . �e8 5 1 .ctJc7t �f8 52.ctJxe6t �e8 53.�e7#) 5 1 .ctJxa7t �b8 52.ctJc6t and White checkmates. 4S ... �eS 49.cxd4 �c2t 50.d6 �d2

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The position is rather simplified, but White retains an obvious advantage as his opponent's pieces are rather tied up. Still, it will not be easy to break through, since all the pawns are on one flank and the black position contains no serious weaknesses. 44.ti'a5! White threatens to trap the queen, forcing her to retreat. 44 ... ti'b8 45.8 h5? Black hopes to cage in White's king and then make a perpetual. The problem is that this move weakens his own king. It may not seem like much, but later on we will see the effects. Instead after 45 . . .f5 ! ? Black's position remains tough, but I think he can live with it after 46.exf5 gxf5 or 46 . . . ixf5 . 46.�h2 ti'c8 47. .ic5 .in 48.�gl .ia6 49.ti'a3 �f7 50.�f2 .ic4 5 1 .ti'a4 .ia6 52 ..ie3 �g7 53.h4 Black has just waited during the last few moves, but now White varies a bit. 53 ....id3

(6 1 .h6? �c2t) 6 1 . . .f4 62.ib6 �c2t 63 .cj;>gl and wins. 59.ti'd7 �h8 Black decides to wai t passively. The alternative was 59 . . . f5 60.gxh5! (after 60.exf5 gxfS 6 1 .g5 f4 62 .id2 if5 63 .ie6 ixe6 64.�xe6 �d8 65 .cj;>g2 �c7 Black gets himself together) 60 . . . gxh5 6 1 .if7 f4 62.�f5 t cj;>h8 63.ib6 ih6 64.�e6 �g7 65.cj;>e 1 ib5 66.ixh5 White has decent winning chances. 60.gxh5 gxh5

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54.d6!! With this beautiful sacrifice White aims to get closer to the enemy king. 54 ... exd6 55.ti'a7t �h8 56.ti'f7 .ig7 57 ..id5 �h7 58.g4! ti'fS Black keeps making 'only' moves. Hopeless was 58 . . . hxg4 59.h5 f5 60.�xg6t cj;>h8 6 1 .fxg4

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6 1 ..ie6 .ia6 62 ..if5? White goes after the h-pawn. However, it was better to collect the d-pawn first: 62.id2 id3 63.ib4 ih6 64.ixd6 ib5!! The only move to stay in the game. 65 .�xb5 Alternatively, after 65 .�c7 �e8 66.if7 (66.ie7!?) 66 . . . �a8 67.ie7 ig7 68 .�b6 ie8 69.ixe8 �xe8 7o.ixf6 White has decent winning chances with the extra pawn. 65 . . . �xd6 66.�e8t �f8 67.�xh5 I think White can win. At the very least it is extremely unpleasant for Black to defend. 62 ....ic4 63 ..igG �g8 64..ixh5 After 64.ih6 ib3 65 .cj;>e l cj;>h8 Black is hanging on. 64 ....if7 Better was:

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64 . . . �h6! Black misses a difficult route to free his position. In a long line he seems to survive. 65 .�b6 White achieves nothing with 65 .�xh6 Wxh6 66.Wc8 t @h7 67.Wc7t @h8. 65 ... �f7 66.�xf7t Wxf7 67.Wxd6 Wa2t 68 .@g3 68.@g l ?! Wb l t draws, e.g. 69.@g2 Wc2t 70.@h3 Wc8t etc. 68 . . . �f4t 69.@g4 Wg2t 70.@f5 Wh3t 7 1 .@g6 �g3t 72.@xf6 Wxh4t 73.@e6 Wh3t Black will have to suffer for a while, but he should be able to hold. 65.i.xflt Uxfl 66.Uxd6 Mter 66.Wxf7t @xf7 67.@g3 f5! (67 . . . @g6? 68 .�g4 �h6 69.�xh6 �xh6 70.�f5 wins) 68 .exf5 d5 Black should be able to hold the position. 66 ... hl �e3 33J%el �xc4 34J;be2 Hopeless is 34.:!:xb7 :!:xg3. 34 ... b5 .•

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Petko goes for the positional win. 34 .. J�xg3 did the job as well. 35.lit>h2 �xa3 By now not only are his pieces overwhel mingly powerful, but he is ahead in material as well. 36.�dl YlVc3

Transposing into an endgame is the simplest way. 37.YlVxc3 �xc3 Black easily converted his advantage. The remaining moves were: 38.�d8 b4 39.�f2 b3 40.i.f3 tLla3 41 .�b8 c4 42.i.g4 hg4 43.hxg4 tLlbl 44.lit>g2 �c2 0- 1

Testimonials Attila Groszpeter Former Hungarian champion and three-time Olympiad team member: "I played Petko Atanasov 25 years ago, but 1 remember that our game was very exciting from the beginning and the tension remained even in the endgame. It is nice to hear that he managed to bring up such an exceptionally strong player, the 2005 world champion Veselin Topalov. All 1 can say is one does not have a pupil of the highest calibre accidentally; for me it is clear that not only does Veselin have a huge talent, but Atanasov is a very, very good trainer as well." 1M Silvio Danailov Manager of Veselin Topalov and other top players, past and present:

"Petko Atanasov was a very strong player with a very original style and way of thinking. His contribution to the career of Veselin Topalov was enormous. Together with his first coach Dimitar Sinabov, they built the base of his chess education, which was extremely important for his future success."

Veselin Topalov World Champion and Chess Oscar winner in 200 5 : "Atanasov started t o train m e when 1 was 1 1 years old. H e was then the strongest player in Ruse, the city's only international master, so for me it was a big honour and good fortune to be included in his group. Not every child had the possibility to be trained by such a strong player at an early age. 1 believe 1 really learned a lot from him and my play reached another level of positional understanding. He taught me many plans for the opening and the middlegame. 1 also started to play 1 .d4, a move 1 had never played before in tournaments. Petko Atanasov was considered to be a very talented and original player, with a very high understanding for chess. He would probably have reached the GM title easily if he had devoted more time to chess. During the time he trained me 1 improved my results considerably and of course the greatest success of his work was that 1 became the World under- 1 4 Champion in Puerto Rico 1 989 and the under- 1 6 bronze medallist in Singapore 1 990.

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Petko Atanasov

There does not appear to be a direct influence of Petko Atanasov on my games from San Luis, as we stopped working together in 1 99 1 . But there is one game I believe was very characteristic of the style of play and openings that he taught me. That game is Kosic - Topalov, played in Crete 1 989. Also, I would like to mention that Petko Atanasov convinced my mother that I had a future in chess, as she wanted me to continue with my education and go to some respected institute. Finally I entered the Sport School in Ruse and had more time to dedicate to chess." Here is the game to which Topalov was referring.

Dragan Kosic - Veselin Topalov Balkaniad Chania 1 989

1.�f3 �f6 2.c4 d6 3.d4 .ig4 The bishop move aims to weaken the dark squares in the centre. Topalov manages to obtain control beautifully. 4.�c3 Topalov had another interesting win in this line the same year: 4.b3 ttJbd7 S .i.b2 i.xf3 6.gxf3 eS 7.ttJc3 g6 8.e3 i.g7 9 .i.h3 0-0 1 0.�d2 �e7 l 1 .dxeS dxeS 1 2.0-0 E!:fd8 1 3 .�c2 c6 1 4.a4 ttJhS I S .E!:fd l fS 1 6.ttJe2 �gs t 1 7.i.g2 f4 1 8 .e4 i.f8 19.i.c3 as 20.@h l �h4 2 1 .ttJgl i.cS 22.i.h3 ttJhf6 23.E!:d2 8

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23 . . . i.d4! 24.i.xd4 exd4 2S.E!:xd4 ttJeS Black has lovely compensation for the pawn and went on to win in Popov - Topalov, Sofia 1 989. 4 .. �bd7 5.e4 e5 6.d5?! This is premature. White should play 6.i.e2 fie7 7.i.e3 and only then d4-dS . .

6 ... �c5! Black has serious pressure against the e4-pawn, which forces White to make a concession. 7.h3 .ih5 8.Y;Yc2?! White has to undertake something unpleasant. Kosic prefers to accept double pawns rather than give up his light-squared bishop. If he was going to allow doubling the f-pawns anyway, it was better to do so without h2-h3, so as to have the h3-square for the bishop. My own preference would have been to give up the light-squared bishop by 8 .i.d3 . 8 ....ixf3 9.gxf3

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9 ... �h5! Preventing White from exchanging one of his doubled pawns. 1 0J�gl White decides to play on the kingside, although a plan involving b2-b4 was also possible.

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10 ...�e7 l 1 .ttle2 Mter l 1 .f4 'Llxf4 1 2.ixf4 exf4 1 3.El:xg7 if6 Black's domination on the dark squares is obvious. 1 1 . .. c6 Many players would stabilize the queenside with a5 . Instead Topalov looks for the initiative right away. 1 2.ttlg3?! It never looked like the fl -bishop would play a great role in the game but now it becomes pitiful. Probably 1 2.h4 was beuer, giving up the pawn for the h3-square. 12 ... ttlf4! Topalov does not allow his opponent to get rid of the doubled pawns. In the next few moves he brings his remaining pieces into play. 13.ttlfS g6 14.ttlxe7 Y!fxe7 IS.�e3 cxdS 16.cxdS 0-0 17.b4?! It is very difficult to recommend anything promising for White, although 1 7.0-0-0 at least puts the king in a safe place. 1 7 ... ttld7 1 8.Y!fd2 �fc8! 1 9.�bS

20.�4 exf4 2 1 .�dl 2 1 .Wxf4 'Llxd5 22.Wd2 Wf6! wins. 2 1 . ..Y!feS 22.�g4?! White's position is miserable anyway, but this gives away two tempos. 22 ... hS! This is a simple yet witty way to embarrass the rook. 23.�gl 23.El:xf4 'Llxd5! was Black's idea. 23 ... �c3 23 . . . a5 ! ? 24.bxa5 El:c5 was also decisive. 24.�gS Y!ff6 2S.Y!fd4 Y!fxd4 26.�xd4 a6! Taking the pawn on f3 was winning as well, but White would have gained some activity. 27.�e2 8 7 6 5 4

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1 9 ... ttlb6! Mter finishing his development, Topalov starts hurting White with energetic moves. He is not only trying to grind down the opponent on his structural weakness. Taking on h3 was fine, but the text is even more difficult to meet.

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27 ... ttld7! This is a textbook example of a mighty knight's domination over a feeble bishop. 28.�c4 �xc4 29.hc4 �c8 30.�e2 �cl t 3 1 .�dl ttleS 32.@e2 �c3 0-1

Chapter 2

Yochanan Afek Versatility

Yochanan Afek surrounded by young chess lovers Chess players are an intelligent and somewhat versatile group of people. Many not only play chess over the board, they also write about chess, play correspondence chess and compose chess studies. Moreover, it is not uncommon for even very strong players to become arbiters later in life. Keres, Bronstein and Smyslov were, apart from being outstanding grandmasters, also both writers and composers. Today the best examples of this versatility among the prominent players are probably Timman and Nunn, both very strong grandmasters at their peak, but equally fine chess writers. Timman has besides this also composed a number of studies, while Nunn was the first to conduct a systematic investigation of the four-, five-, and six-man endings with tablebases, and has now started a further chapter in his career, twice being the problem-solving world champion. While these are all famous grandmasters, fewer have heard the name of an equally fascinating player, who has made a considerable contribution to chess: Yochanan Afek. The Israeli is the only person to possess an international title at four different facets of chess, being an International Master of both classical chess and chess composition, as well as an international arbiter for both of these. However, his versatility does not stop there. His exact range is hard to establish. Nowadays his main income comes from coaching, but for six years he was also a full time director of a municipal chess club in Israel. He has organized hundreds of tournaments of almost every kind, for players of all ages and abilities. He regularly writes articles, sells chess books, accompanies chess delegations as a coach, and gives lectures.

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In his (presumably very limited!) spare time, he plays blitz and bullet on ICC or looks after his large collection of chess stamps.

White must save his last pawn, which he can do with a subtle king move, looking ahead to the moment of promotion.

Over the roughly twenty years I have known Yochanan, I have often witnessed the joy he gives to others during chess tournaments, especially younger players. His main way of doing this is by demonstrating studies, both his own and those composed by others. I should probably quickly say that I am not an expert in endgame studies, and can thus only judge their (in my opinion, immense) artistic quality from the perspective of a fan of the game. I will thus leave the task of assessing Yochanan in the hierarchy of chess composers to the experts, limiting myself to sharing with the reader my respect for the man and my excitement about his work.

1 .c8! gbl 2.�b4! gxb4 The subtleties of the king move are starting to become apparent. 2 . . . gh 1 3.ltJe6t wins for White, and 2 . . . f2 3.b8 ='1& f1 ='1& 4.ltJfd3t c;t>c4 5 .'I&c7t leads to mate. 3.�d3t d4 4.�xb4 f2 5.�c2t! e4 6.b8=� f1 =� 7.�b7t After this forced sequence it is clear that Black cannot avoid losing the queen. 7 e5 8.�e7t d5 9.�e3t White wins.

The majority of the studies can be found at the end of this chapter, where the reader can attempt to solve them. But before we come to that, or even get acquainted with the man, I want to present you with his first ever published study. Shahmat 1 967

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Yochanan's parents were among the few Jews that survived World War II in Eastern Europe. They later escaped before the Iron Curtain fell down across the continent. They emigrated illegally to Israel in 1 947, were expelled to Cyprus by the British mandate, married there, were later released to return to settle in Israel at the creation of this nation in 1 949, and lived there for the rest of their lives. Yochanan and his sister were both born in Tel Aviv.

How did you start playing chess? "I studied the rules at the age of seven or eight from the father of a childhood friend who is still proud of this almost fifty years later. However, I only started to play seriously when I was fourteen, in school and in a Tel Aviv youth centre. Around the same time I started to compose some rather naIve chess problems. My first compositions were published when I was fifteen."

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When did you decide to become a chess professional? "I started to make some living out of chess as a teenager giving chess lessons in the Municipal club of Tel Aviv (directed by my own chess mentor, Moshe Czerniak) , and in

Chapter 2 - Yochanan Afek

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elementary schools. I was involved with the Municipal club for a total of 43 years. I decided to become a chess professional (not necessarily as a player) when I was a student and ever since it has been my only occupation. Unlike all other examples I was a chess organizer and writer first and became a professional player only in my late thirties."

Wouldyou like to have invested more time on your chess education as a teenager? "If! had to start my career once again I would certainly invest more time on my chess education and less time playing blitz in the Emanuel Lasker chess club. However in the Israel of the late 1 960s there was hardly any serious chess education and terms such as prophylaxis or pawn islands I only heard for the first time much later. I would define my style in those days as 'improved coffee house'. In fact the two dominant qualities of my generation were great fighting spirit (a common Israeli trait in general) and an unconditional love for the game." Yochanan stayed in my apartment in Kecskemet a few times and he kept showing his studies to my pupils. He never gets tired or bored if someone thinks for a very long time, he always waits patiently. He found an ideal audience in (later) Grandmaster Zoltan Gyimesi. Zoltan was deeply fascinated by the studies and the two of them became good friends, so that not only my family but also Zoltan used to wait impatiently for Yochanan's next visit.

Who inspiredyou most as a composer? "My love of the game l owe to the late 1M Moshe Czerniak ( 1 9 1 0- 1 984) with whom I was in close contact for almost two decades. He also was a great enthusiast of endgame studies and several of his pupils, my friends in the youth centre in Tel Aviv such as Amatzia Avni, Gady Costeff and Ofer Co may, became famous composers. The latter was also a three-time world champion for solving. Actually I was fortunate to have the Israeli composer Hillel Aloni watching my first steps and patiently explaining (like he did with many others) in numerous lengthy letters how a decent study should look. His identical twin brother Yoel did the same with my checkmating problems. A few years ago we all celebrated their seventieth birthday in Israel." Tell me a bit about the status ofchess composition in Israel. "Israel is actually a superpower in chess composition. There are excellent and experienced composers there for almost any genre, winning numerous prizes everywhere. The Israeli top solvers have won the world team championship five or six times. Unlike in 'real' chess they are mainly Israeli-born, but they have always been reinforced by newcomers from Europe - mainly from the Eastern Bloc. Israel's great new hope is a teenager named Evgeny Bourd, a rising mega-star of mate problems." Going through Yochanan's studies I got the impression that he is like a music composer who creates many lovely songs with charming melodies, but rarely composes operas. This could perhaps be a result of his working methods. "Usually I do not plan my studies. It is more like spontaneous bursts of inspiration. If ! plan it, usually nothing comes out of it. I get ideas from over-the-board games but am also stimulated

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by looking at other studies. It is often the trigger. Occasionally I compose a study while playing a tournament, especially after a particularly painful defeat. That is my way to keep sane. GM Alon Greenfeld recently said: 'I wish you would lose more often . . . ' "

Computers have changed competitive chess hugely in the last fifteen years. They have also changed the job of teaching chess or writing about it. But computers have no sense of aesthetics, so you might wonder how much they have changed the process of chess composition and chess composition in general. Afek explains: "Computers have changed composing thoroughly, mainly in four ways: 1 ) Powerful playing programs are extremely efficient in checking the soundness of endgame studies and solving programs check in seconds most of the other genres (mate problems) for correctness. 2) The database of 70,000 studies (the majority of what has ever been published) edited and currently updated by the Dutch composer Harold van der Heijden is a great instrument to check originality and to prepare articles by any key one desires, be it by period, theme, composer etc. 3) The tablebase that can tell the result of all five- and six-piece positions is also very helpful, however it can also be misused for composing 'instant studies' that are actually created by the silicon monster. 4) The Internet helps to organize composing tourneys and to publish their results and awards much faster."

How do you take it, ifthey cook one ofyour studies? "If they cook one of my studies I immediately hope that it is still repairable, and mostly I am lucky to save it sooner or later. In some cases I have to compromise with a lesser version, while in others it might dramatically be improved. In the process of the correction I might discover a new idea so the old study might even have a newborn brother. In a few cases, not too many though, I have to kiss the hopeless study goodbye and farewells, as you know, are usually sad, a small death, as the poet says." Afek is an example of an artist who is not relying on his artistic sensitivity alone, but has to put in a great amount of work as well. The following study from Martin 1 994/5 was cooked, but the aesthetic content was saved by changing the initial moves of the study, as well as a slight tweak to the starting position. It can be hard and laborious work to make the most out of a study. Many additional opportunities need to be checked and long variations worked out with clockwork precision, to ensure that the studies are correct and that no additional solutions exist. Often the study will need to be elaborated or slightly altered. The following study is a good example of how computers can put hard questions to an otherwise sensational study.

Chapter 2 - Yochanan Mek 1 st Prize, Martin 1 994/5

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2 ... e2? 2 . . . fk l !! It looks like this wonderful move refutes the study, but I will still show the remainder of the piece as I like the finish very much. 3J�xf2 gxe6t Another possibility is 3 . . . e l ='IMr 4.lDxg6t �e8 (after 4 . . . �g8 5 . lD e7t �h8?? 6J�xc2 White wins) 5 J�xc2 'lMre4 6J:k5 'lMrd5 . These moves are my own. They are not forced, but they are not weaker than others and they lead to a nice stalemate. 4.�xe6 e l =Wf Now the rook has so many squares to move to, but only one will do.

White to play and draw (almost!) White fights against the soon-to-be promoted queen by combining several motifs. Unfortunately there is a sensational winning move for Black on move 2 .

1 .� Not l .�h l ? fl ='lMrt 2.�xfl �f2t winning. I. .. ge2 2.�e5 And not 2.lDd6? e2 3.�xf2 e l ='IMr 4.�xc2 '!We7t 5 .�xg6 'lMrxd6t. To save you deciding whether the position is a positional draw or not, I will let you know that White's rook falls to a check on the next move. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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5.gB!! This is the only move which, at least temporarily, saves the rook. 5 .�b2? 'lMrc3t wins the rook, as does 5 .�f4? 'lMre3 6.�c4 (6.�fl 'lMrd3) 6 ... 'lMrd3 . Also unsatisfactory is 5 .�h2? 'lMrfl t 6.�xg6 'lMrf7t 7.�h6 'lMrg7t 8 .�h5 'lMrh7t. Slightly more resilient, but still ultimately insufficient, would be: 5.�a2? 'lMre8! This enables Black to win the rook. Alternatively, after 5 . . . 'lMrfl t 6.�e5 'lMrf5 t 7.�d4 'lMrf4t 8 .�c5 'lMrxg5t Black wins as the white pieces are far from the kingside. However, please note that if the white pieces

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could gather in front of the g-pawn it would be a draw. Miles once drew against Portisch like this, in Tilburg 1 98 1 . 6.lLle5 6.!%a6 Wc8! attacks the rook while threat ening mate on f5 . 6 . . . We7t 7.@xg6 We6t Once again, the rook is lost. 5 ... Widl Black threatens a checkmate in addition to capturing the rook.

the win. If the attacking king is cut off, against b- and g- pawns with the defending king in front of the pawn, only with the pawn on the third rank can the attacking side win. 7 @g7 8.!%f7t @g8 ••.

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7.@e6t!! 7.@xg6t gives practical chances, but can ultimately be refuted by 7 . . . @g8!. Going to the e-file, on the other hand, would squander

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It looks like this is the end for White. 9J�f8t! The lovely check forces a perpetual or a stalemate. In this study we can see the effect of the new age of computer programs, as the final position can be checked by the Nalimov tablebase (although it did not exist at the time of composition) . Also the computer recommended the refutation. Afek's new and improved version can be found in the 'Selected Studies' section on page 62 (study No. 6) . Yochanan composed a neat study for the special tourney celebrating the 1 1 00 year anniversary of the Hungarian tribes arriving at the Carpathians basin (see page 63, study No. 7) . His father belonged to the Hungarian speaking Jewish community of Transylvania, but unlike his father, Yochanan does not speak the language. Nevertheless he managed to build many friendships in Hungary with the limited vocabulary he does possess, including with my sons who could only speak Hungarian

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Chapter 2 Yochanan Afek -

at the time (they now speak English as well) . Whenever he has visited Hungary he has taken the time to visit other composers, such as Gyorgy Bakcsi and Laszlo Lindner (featured in another chapter of this book, beginning on page 260) . Talking about his study for Koranyi MT 1999, he says: "I would like to add a study to the article with a similar motif, which shows similar elements but is much more original (the subtle prophylactic king moves to the corner to avoid future forks) . It is also an opportunity to commemorate my dear friend and fine composer Attila Koranyi whom 1 used to visit whenever 1 came to Budapest." 2nd Prize, Koranyi MT 1 999

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4.�a2! The only square which avoids harmful knight checks. Black draws after 4.c;t>b3? lLld2t 5 .c;t>a4 ( 5 .c;t>c3 is also not good enough after 5 . . . lLlxe4t 6.c;t>d4 lLlxf2 7.b5 lLlg4 8.b6 lLlf6) 5 . . . lLlxe4 6.f4 (6.b5 lLlxf2!) 6 . . . c;t>d2 7.b5 c;t>e3 8.f5 c;t>f4. Also insufficient is 4.c;t>a4? lLlc3t 5 . c;t>a5 lLlxe4 6.f4 (6.b5 lLlxf2! Black has to take the pawn but he has time for it, and holds the draw after 7.b6 lLld3 8.b7 lLle5) 6 . . . c;t>d2 7.f5 c;t>e3 8.b5 c;t>f4 9.b6 lLld6 1 0.f6 c;t>g5 (the king could have gone back to the d5-square as well) 1 1 .£1 lLlx£1 1 2.b7 lLld8! when Black draws. 4 ... ttlc3t

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White to play and win 1 .�a4 White goes after Black's pawns - he has no choice. 1 ... h2 2.�xa3! ttle4!! A great effort, but to no avail. This is a sweet way to block the e-file and force the rook to an unfortunate square. Bad luck for Black though, as even this is not enough. 3J�xe4 h l =ttlt! The knight promotion wins the rook.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a 5.�al !!

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The king has to hide in the corner to avoid the nasty knight. 5 .. .!ilxe4 6.h5!

Not 6.f4? ltJd6. 6 ... ttld6 7.h6 'td2 8.f4 'te3 9.£5 One of the pawns promotes.

Afek's mother was born in Poland, but spent the time of the war in Kazakhstan. Yochanan speaks neither Polish nor Russian. His parents studied Hebrew in Cyprus in order to facilitate their communication. It is a personal regret to him that he does not speak Russian, considering its usefulness in the chess world.

What are your strong and relatively weak points as a composer? "As a composer I probably used to have many weak points which I managed to fix more or less successfully over the years. I am even curing my tendency of not being so prolific. I am more active than ever right now." You became very active after moving to Amsterdam; didyou think ofcomposing more when you made this decision? "I moved to Holland mainly because I consider this country to be the leading chess country in the continent. Not necessarily by the number of chess events, clubs and enthusiasts (and it's huge compared to its size) but mainly in terms of chess culture, the approach to the game and to the players. No doubt this general atmosphere inspires me too. Curiously I received my permission to stay based and conditional on my 'profession' as a study composer. For a while I wondered if it would be considered legal for me to create novelties in the openings or perhaps I might risk going to jail! Seriously, probably my best chess move ever was to move to Amsterdam. Nevertheless I still keep close daily ties with my numerous friends in Israel." Who is yourfavourite composer? "My favourite endgame study composer of all time is the Russian Mark Liburkin. I was influenced by his unique style in many ways, but I also sympathize with the great romanticist who passed away prematurely (at the age of forty-three) . My current favourite composers are the Czech Mario Matous and the Russian Yuri Bazlov, who follows the same way of expressing beauty through simplicity, purity and economy but with much more precision." Do you know how many endgame studies you have composed and have you made other kinds of compositions as well? "Besides my approximately 200 studies, I composed, mainly in the seventies and eighties, about 1 00 problems in various genres including direct mates. I especially did well in self-mates and frequently I even used to transfer those suicidal tendencies to my own games . . . " Do you keep a record of how many prizes you have won? "I counted them especially for you. To date I have won 58 prizes, 1 9 were first prizes. This figure does not include honourable mentions and commendations, nor other genres." When I asked him to send me his studies, he sent around 1 20. I find it interesting that maybe he felt in some way he did not reach the required level. This is something that I myself am not qualified to judge, although I would certainly find it difficult to criticize his compositions.

Chapter 2 Yochanan Mek -

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How useful is itfor an over-the-board players to spend time with endgame studies? ''A player can profit from knowing endgame studies in many ways, but in my opinion the most significant one is about creativity. It will certainly help him to find unusual solutions to unusual problems. Chess is full of such exceptional situations, and therein lies its charm. How else would you explain how it has survived for so long?" How much does the difculty ofsolving your studies matter? "Difficulty is just one criterion to evaluate an endgame study, which perhaps is crucial for the solver but not necessarily for the artist. No less important are the variety of ideas, the originality, Black's counterplay, the economy and the flowing of the moves up to the highlight. The harmony between all these components makes the general impression. As the late great Israeli problemist Shlomo Seider once told me: A study should not be just a collection of strong or difficult moves. There must be an underlying motif that brings an overall harmony, so that the solution as a whole is greater than the sum of its individual constituent moves." The following is one of Mek's finest studies. 4th Prize, Themes 64 TT 1 976

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White to play and win 1.gg8!! This remarkable move has a function, which is not easy to spot. It is quite incredible that Black is actually in zugzwang. 1 .�b8 ? �g3 2.�g8 �xf7 3.�xf7 h4 is a draw. Going out with the king would be premature: 1 .�f6 �a6t 2.�e5 �a5t 3.�d4 �a4t 4.�c3 �a3t 5.�b2 �f3 6.f8='tMf �xf8 7.�xf8 when Black draws thanks to the h7-pawn.

1 " .h6 White's initial move stopped Black's king from coming out to the g-file. So, not 1 . . . �g5 because 2.�h8t! wins. After 1 . . .�h3, aiming to push his pawns, Black loses quickly. 2.�f6 �a6t 3.�g5 �a5t 4.�h6 �a6t 5.�xh5 wins. Finally, looking at 1 . . . �b7 helps us appreciate what a concept White's first move initiated. Moving a bit with the rook is not the right remedy against the zugzwang. The rook on the b-file looks far enough away, but it is still too close. 2.�f6 �b6t 3.�e5 �b5t 4.�d4 �b4t 5 .�c3 �f4 6.f8='tMf �xf8 7.�xf8 �g3 8.�d3 (the king approaches just in time) 8 . . . h4 9.�e2 h3 1 0.�g8t and wins. 2.f6! White must find the right way to lose a tempo after Black's waiting move. 2.�g6? The most common way to lose a tempo triangulation - does not work here, as it allows the black king to leave the h-file. 2 . . . �a6t 3.�h7? �f6! 3 . . . �a7? fails to 4. �g7!. 4.�g7 �g5 5.�a8 �xf7t 6.�xf7 h4 Black escapes with a draw. 2".ga6t 3.e5 ga5t

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4.�e4! White continues his remarkable journey. Approaching the rook on the a-file would drive White's king too far away. 4 .. J�a4t 5.�f3 ga3t 6.�g2 ga2t Playing for a stalemate with 6 . . . E!:g3t would not help, as 7.@f2! wins. 7.�hl gal t 8.�h2! White must block the check properly. Mter B.E!:g l ? E!:aB 9 .E!:g7 @h3! 1 O.@gl h4 Black holds. 8 ... ga2t 9.gg2 ga8 I O.gg7 ga2t Once again the stalemating attempt 1 0 . . . E!:gB!? does not work, thanks to 1 1 .E!:g4t! winning. Also insufficient is 1 0 . . . E!:fB 1 1 .@g2 (not 1 1 .@gl ? @h3) 1 1 . .. E!:gB 1 2.@f3 ( 1 2.E!:g4t! ? i s also good enough: 1 2 . . . E!:xg4t 1 3 .@f3 E!:g l 1 4.@e2 E!:g2t I S .@fl with a winning ending) 1 2 . . . E!:xg7 1 3 .fB=Wf. Black's pawn would need to be two ranks further advanced to secure a draw. l l .�gl gal t If 1 1 . . . E!:aB then White wins with 1 2.@g2 E!:a2t 1 3 .@f3 E!:aB 1 4.@f4. 1 2.�f2 ga2t 13.�f3 ga3t 14.�f4 ga4t 1 5.�f5 ga5t No better is I S ... E!:a l 1 6.@g6 E!:g l t 1 7.@h7 E!:fl I B .@gB @h3 1 9.fB=Wf E!:xfBt 20.@xfB and White wins.

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1 6.�g6 ga8 We should also consider: 1 6 . . . E!:a6t 1 7.@h7 E!:aB I B .E!:gB White can also take on h6 and transpose to the main line. I B . . . E!:a7

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1 9.@g7!! White can win by setting up a zugzwang. Quite remarkably the position is the same as after Black's first move, except that now it is Black's turn to move. It took I B moves to lose the tempo! 1 9 . . . E!:b7 20.@f6 E!:b6t 2 1 .@eS E!:bSt 22.@d4 E!:b4t 23.@c3 E!:f4 24.fB=Wf E!:xfB 2 S .E!:xfB Regardless of Black having both h-pawns, White wins as his king is close enough. 17.�xh6 1 7.E!:gB ? E!:a6t I B .@h7 E!:f6 draws. 17 ... gh8t

Chapter 2 Yochanan Mek -

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26.�xf8 White now wins, because the h7 -pawn does not exist anymore. 26 g3 27.c2 h4 28.d2 h3 29.e2 h2 30.�g8t White wins, as there will be no pawn to cover the lethal check along the h-file. •••

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18.�g6! Accuracy is still required! Instead 1 8 . .1:!h7? leaves us with the following interesting lines: a) 1 8 . . . .1:!f8 ? 1 9 . .1:!g7! wins. (But not 1 9. i>g6 i>g4 20 . .1:!xh5 .1:!xf7, or 1 9.i>g7 .1:!xf7t 20.i>xf7 i>g4!.) b) 18 . . . .1:!c8 ? loses as well. The rook is not as far away as it needs to be. 1 9.i>g6 .1:!c6t ( 1 9 . . . i>g4 20 . .1:!xh5) 20.i>g7 .1:!c7 2 1 .i>f6 .1:!c6t 22.i>e5 .1:!c5t 23.i>d6 .1:!c8 24 . .1:!g7 wins. c) 18 . . . .1:!b8! The rook has to go at least this far ( 1 8 . . . .1:!a8! would draw in a similar way) . Now after 1 9.i>g6 .1:!b6t 20.i>g7 .1:!b7 2 1 .i>f6 �b6t 22.i>e5 .1:!b5t 23.i>d4 .1:!f5 Black holds. 18 J��a8 1 9.�g8 �a6t 20.f5 �a5t 2 1 .e4 ga4t 22.d3 �a3t 23.c2 �a2t 24.b3 gn 25.f8='iN �xf8 •.

I rate this study very highly, one ofthe best I have ever seen. "Thanks. GM David Gurgenidze (former world champion for composing studies) called this one 'Etyud Veka' - Study of the Century; but perhaps he exaggerated a bit just to make me, his good friend, happy." I remember roughly 1 5 years ago Yochanan brought a Richard Clayderman cassette for my wife. She started to like the melodies. Yochanan found it funny that those pieces captivated her so much. Now going through quite a number of his studies reminds me of that music a bit. However there is one big difference. By now I can remember none of those melodies, but his most artistic masterpieces stay with me forever.

Can you talk about your solving career? "I am actually a retired solver with a FIDE master title so I rarely take part in such competitions. It has never been much more than an occasional pastime." Which were your best results as a solver? "I won a couple of solving contests over the years, but the highlights of this short-term 'career' were the silver and the bronze medals in the world team championships in Krk (Croatia) 1 977 and Canterbury (England) 1 978 respectively, together with my team mate Uri Avner who was in fact the main force behind those successes."

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Let me show a very nice endgame! Yochanan had a role in it.

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Rozentalis - Mek Tel Aviv 1 98 9

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After 6. cj;>e5 ttJd7t 7. cj;>d6 ttJ b6 Black wins easily. 6 . . . ttJd7! Now Black can sacrifice the knight for the b-pawn. Instead after 6 . . . cj;>xf2? 7.b6 ttJd7 8.b7 cj;>g3 9.cj;>e3 cj;>xh3 1 O.cj;>f3 White holds. The pawn has to be blockaded on b6 in order for Black to win. 7.cj;>d5 ttJb6t 8 .cj;>c5 Or 8 . cj;>c6 ttJa4. 8 . . . ttJc8! And Black wins. 3 tilf3t Alternatively 3 . . . ttJb l only draws after 4.cj;>d3 cj;>f3 5 . cj;>c2 cj;>xf2 6.cj;>xb l cj;>g3 7.b4 cj;>xh3 8.b5 cj;>g4 9.b6 h3 l O.b7 h2 1 1 .b8=W h l =Wt 1 2.cj;>c2!. This is the only move, but it is good enough to secure half a point. However, Black could have achieved a truly study-like win with: 3 . . . cj;>f3! Here we have two main lines. Less important is 4.cj;>d3 ttJe4 S . b4 ttJxf2t 6.cj;>d4 ttJxh3 7.bS ttJf4 8.b6 ttJe6t 9.cj;>dS ttJd8, and Black wins. a) 4.cj;>dS gives Black two routes to victory: a I ) 4 . . . cj;>xf2 S . b4 •••

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1 .c;t>d5! Not 1 . cj;>c4? ttJd2t 2. cj;>d5 ttJe4 and Black wins. And if 1 .cj;>e3 then 1 . . .ttJcS 2.b4 ttJa6 3.bS ttJc7 4.b6 ttJdSt decides the game. 1 . c;t>f4 2. c;t>c4 tild2t ••

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3. c;t> d4!! This is a very nice move. Black cannot sacrifice the knight for the b-pawn. Insufficient would be: 3.cj;>dS? ttJe4 4.b4 cj;>f3! White is in zugzwang. S .cj;>d4 ttJf6 6.bS

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S . . . ttJb l !! 6.cj;>c4 cj;>g3 7.cj;>b3 cj;>xh3 wins. a2) Alternatively, there is: 4 . . . ttJb3 S .cj;>c4 ttJaSt 6.cj;>dS 6.cj;>bS cj;>g2 7.f4 cj;>xh3 8.fS ttJb7 9 .cj;>c6 cj;>g4 1 O.f6 cj;>fS wins.

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6 .. .<j{g2 7.b4 liJb7 8.@c6 8.f4 @xh3 9.f5 @g4 1 0.f6 liJd8 1 1 .@d6 h3 12.@e7 @f5 wins. 8 ... @xh3 9 .@xb7 @g4 1 O.b5 h3 I l .b6 h2 Black wins. b) 4.b4

An equally good alternative is 9 . . . @g2 1 0.f6 liJd8 I l .b6 h3 1 2.b7 h2 1 3.f7 h l =V9 1 4.f8=V9 V9b l t 1 5 .@c3 liJxb7 winning. 1 O.f6 liJd8 I l .b6

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This is the more resilient defence. 4 ... @g2!! The alternatives both lead to a draw: 4 ... lDe4 5 .b5 liJd6 6.b6 @g2 7.@c5 holds easily. 4 ... @xf2 5 .b5 liJb3t 6.@d5 liJa5 7.b6 @g3 8.@c5 (but not 8 .@e4? @xh3 9.@f3 @h2, when Black wins) 8 . . . @xh3 9.@b5 lDb7 1 0.@c6 @g4 (or 10 ... liJd8t 1 1 .@c7) 1 1 .@xb7 h3 1 2.@c8! h2 1 3.b7 h l =V9 14.b8=V9 The queen ending is a theoretical draw. 5.b5 The alternatives are no better: 5.@d3 lD f3 6.b5 @xh3 7.b6 liJe5t 8.@d4 lDd7 9.b7 @g4-+ 5.f4 @xh3 6.f5 (Black also wins after 6.b5 lDb3t 7.@e3 @g3 8.f5 h3 9.f6 h2 1 O.f7 h l =V9 I l .f8=V9 V9c 1 t) 6 ... liJf3t 7.@d5 @g4 8.f6 (8.b5 @xf5) 8 . . . liJg5 9.b5 h3 Black promotes with a check and wins. 5 ... lDb3t 6.@c4 Or 6.@d5 @xh3 7.b6 liJa5 8 .@c5 @g4 9.@b5 lDb7 1 0.@c6 h3 1 1 .@xb7 h2 1 2 .@c8 h l =V9 when White can resign. 6 ... lDa5t 7.@b4 lDb7 8.f4 @xh3 9.f5 @g4

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The unfortunate placement of the white king will be his undoing. 1 1 . . .@f5 1 2.f7 Or 1 2.b7 @xf6 1 3.b8=V9 liJc6t. 1 2 . . . liJxf7 1 3.b7 liJd8 Black wins. Let us now return to the game continuation of 3 . . . liJf3t:

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Unfortunately for Black, this is not quite good enough to achieve the desired result. 4. d5 f5 After 4 . . . lDg5 Black can promote at the same time and have the extra piece, but this is still not enough to win. 5 .b4 lDxh3 (5 . . . lDe4 6.b5

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tDc3t 7.@c4 tDxb5 B.@xb5 @f3 9.@c4 @g2 1 0.f4 @xh3 l 1 .f5 @g4 1 2.f6 h3 1 3 .£7 h2 1 4.fB=W h l =W is a draw) 6.b5 @f5 7.b6 tDf4t B.@d6 h3 9.b7 h2 1 0.bB=W h l =W I 1 .WfBt @g4 (or 1 1 . . .@g5 1 2. WdBt) 1 2.WgBt and White draws. 5.b4 White's b-pawn is strong enough to hold. 5 ... 1it>f6 6.b5 lit>e7 7. lit> c6 It is not too late for White to blunder with 7.b6?? @d7. 7 ttld4t After 7 . . . @dB B.@b7 the position is equal. 8.lit>c5 ttle6t 9.lit>c6 ttld4t IO.lit>c5 •..

112-1f2

This endgame could almost have been a study, but of course it was a real competitive game, played in the tournament in which Yochanan scored his first 1M norm.

lunatic tried to assassinate President Jacques Chirac in the neighbouring Champs-Elysees during the traditional parade. Two rather unusual events at the very same time."

Do you know anybody else who made his first grandmaster norm after his 50th birthday? "I know some players who were awarded the GM title when they were even older after winning the World Seniors Championship. Klovans and Petkevitch to name two. I think that Mark Tseitlin also became a GM after fifty but I cannot tell when he scored his first norm. In my case the norm is just a pleasant souvenir unless they plan to send me another one for my 60th birthday." Here is the game that secured him his first grandmaster norm!

Ziaur Rahman - Yochanan Mek Let's talk about your over-the-board career. Can you spot some milestones in it and talk about the tournament ofyour life? "I became an International Master in 1 993 at the age of 4 1 . In that year I also scored my best tournament result in Israel when I won the Dov Porath Memorial ahead of almost all the top players in my native country at that time. The Paris Championship 2002 was no doubt the highlight of my entire chess career. It was a special present for my personal golden j ubilee. I scored 7Y2/9 (+6 =3) after playing six grandmasters in a row. I still see it as a kind of a miracle that apart from the Bth round I was never in a worse position and everything eventually went my way. To judge by the thunderous applause I received at the prize giving, I guess I gave fresh hope to many veterans who were still seeking their own highlight. It was Bastille Day on the Avenue Vagram and while I was lifting the huge eight kilogram trophy (accompanied by the largest cheque I have ever held) , some

Paris 2002

l .ttla d5 2.d4 c5 3.c4 dxc4 Zsuzsa Polgar, Gabor Kallai and I have spent some time together analysing this side variation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 i.e6 6.ttlc3 ttlf6 7.ttle5 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a 7 ... ttlc6

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Interestingly, when he needed to draw to achieve his final 1M norm, Yochanan also employed this variation. On that occasion the continuation was 7 . . . g6 B JMfa4t ltJbd7 9.ixc4 ixc4 1 O.Wxc4 e6 1 1 .0-0 ig7 1 2.Wb4 Wb6 1 3.ltJbS ifB 1 4.Wc4 ltJdS I S .Wa4 f6 1 6.ltJxd7 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

23.hxg3 ltldS 23 . . . Wh3 is an alternative. 24.ltle4 ltlf6 2S.ltld2 �h6?! Black forces matters. It is rather risky as he has j ust a narrow path to follow. 2S . . . WbS ! ? may have been more promising. 26.�xc6 �xc6 27 .�xc6 �as This decentralization of the queen is rather risky. 28.ltla In the case of 2B.�xe6 fxe6 (there is also 2B . . . Wxa2 29.�xf6 Wxb2 30.We7 �fB , when Black has chances to survive) 29.Wxe6t @h7 30.ltJc4 Wxa2 3 1 .We7t ig7 32.WxdB Wb I t Black escapes with a perpetual check. 28 ...�xa2 29.dS �xdS

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1 6 . . . @xd7 Not everyone would have the confidence to play in such an original fashion when needing a draw for a final norm! 1 7.id2 Wa6 I B .Wb3 ib4 1 9.1tJc3 ixc3 20.bxc3 �acB 2 1 .a4 �c7 22.�fe l �hcB 23 .Wb l @e7 24.We4 �f7 2S .�ab l �e7 26.�b3 �c4 27.Wh4 @gB 2B .Wg3 b6 29.�bS Wb7 30.Wd6 @f7 3 1 .h4 Wc6 32.WbB WcB 33 .Wd6 Wc6 34.WbB WcB 35 .Wd6 Y2-Y2 Martin - Afek, Oakham 1 993. S.ttJxc6 bxc6 9.�a4 �d7 10 ..hc4 .hc4 1 1 .�xc4 g6 Kallai had a difficult draw with 1 1 . . . e6, which was our solution to the problem then. 12.0-0 �g7 1 3.b3 0-0 14.�b2 �fd8 In this type of position I would prefer to move the knight as it opens the diagonal. For instance, after 1 4 . . . ltJeB!? I S .ltJe4 ltJc7 ( 1 S . . . WdS) 1 6.�ac 1 ltJe6 Black is doing alright. But Yochanan decides to leave it on f6 for a while. IS.ltla4 �d6 1 6.g3 �dS Also interesting was 1 6 . . . ltJg4!? 1 7.�fd l ttJh6. 17.�ac1 �ac8 1 8.�fe1 e6 19.�e2 �f5 20.�c4 hS 2 1 .�ec1 h4 22.ltlcS hxg3

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30.�xe6!? Black needs to have good nerves to allow such a move with so much riding on the result. 30 ...�xb3! Such a cool-headed move! White seems to be able to take a piece in two different ways, but Yochanan j ust takes a pawn. The move brings the queen into play as well. 3 1 .xd2 c4

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1 8.g4! In the previous games Shakarov displayed fast piece play, but the present position requires a pawn onslaught. He makes the appropriate adjustment. 1 8 ga6 Black is optimistic but his posmon is troublesome anyway. For instance: 1 8 . . . @g8 Black has time to trap the bishop, but it opens up the position in White's favour. 1 9.95 hxg5 20.hxg5 g6 2 1 .:gah 1 ! gxh5 •..

122

Genius in the Backg round

2 1 . . . El:bB 22.�h2! �fB (Shakarov gives the nice line 22 . . . �g7 23 .�xg6! - 23.�g4! is also good enough - 23 . . . El:xh3 24.�xh3 �xg5t 25.f4 �xg6 26.El:g l and wins) 23.�xg6 El:xh3 24.�xh3 �xg5t 25.f4 �xg6 26.El:g l �e4 27.�h6t �e7 2B .�f6t �fB 29.El:g4! White has time to transfer the rook to the h-file. To see that in advance requires true attacking skill, even in correspondence chess. Please note that 29.El:g5 ? would not be good enough due to 29 . . . �h7!. 22.El:xh5 El:xh5 23.El:xh5 �fB

2 1 . . .El:xa3 22.�xf7! El:h4 23 .�h5 Black's king is in trouble 2 1 . . .�eB 22 .�g6! El:gB 23.El:h7 lLldB 24.El: l h5 �c6 25.El:xg5 Black is again in trouble. 22.�g6! El:h4 22 . . . El:gB 23 .�h7 El:hB 24.�e4 El:h4 (24 . . . El:gB 25 .El:hB) 25.El:xh4 gxh4 26.�h6t �eB 27.�xd5 and White wins. 8 7 6 5 4

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24.g6! White nicely changes the point of attack. 24 . . . �g7 25.gxf7t �fB 26.�h4 Black's king does not have long to live. It is interesting to consider another possi bility as well: I B . . . g5 ! ? I think this surprising move i s the best practical chance; it wins a tempo and creates some breathing space. However, one feels that White should be able to obtain an advantage. Some of the variations are simply beautiful. 1 9.�e3! 1 9.hxg5 �xg5 is okay for Black, but 1 9.�f3!? is interesting. Now there are two moves to consider. a) 1 9 . . . El:a6 20.hxg5 hxg5 2 1 .El:ah l ! lLldB 2 1 . . . El:gB 22.�xf7!

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23.lLlf4!! What a way to bring the knight into the attack! A piece is hanging, but instead of moving it away, White puts another piece en prise as well. 23 . . .�c6 24.El:xh4 gxh4 25 .lLlh5 White invades. b) 1 9 . . . gxh4!? Black is living dangerously; it took me some time to find how to continue the attack. Here are some possible lines: b I ) 20.lLlgl El:a6 2 1 .lLlf3 El:xa3 22.El:xa3 �xa3 23.lLlxh4 b4 23 . . . El:h7 24.g5 hxg5 25 .�xg5 �e7 26.�f4 �eB 27.lLlf3 El:g7 2B.El:g3 White has compensation. 24.�f4 El:h7 25 .�g6 El:g7 26.�xh6 lLlxd4 This leads to hair-raising complications! 27.�xf7 27.�hBt El:gB 2B .�h6t El:g7 27 . . . bxc3t 2B.El:xc3 lLlb3t! It looks like Black just escapes. 29.cxb3 29.El:xb3 cxb3 30.�f6 �b4t

1 23

Chapter 4 - Alexander Shakarov 29.me2 ttJd4t 30.md2 29 . . . Wfb2t The game ends in a perpetual. b2) Shakarov's preference was 20.E!:f3! E!:h7 (20 . . . !eB 2 1 .E!:f6) 2 1 .!g6 E!:g7 22.Wfxh6 mgB . And now, according to Shakarov, White can win with either 23.!h5 or 23.ttJf4. b3) 20.E!:ah l ! According to my analysis, this is another way to break the defence. 20 . . . E!:h7 2 1 .E!:xh4 E!:a6 22.ttJf4 !eB

meB 22.E!:hg3 WffB 23.h7 ttJe7 24.E!:g7 E!:xa3 2 5 .Wff6 and White wins. 20.hxg5 g6

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23 .!g6!! fxg6 24.E!:xh6 E!:xh6 2 5 . E!:xh6 Wff7 26.E!:xg6 Wfxg6 27.ttJxg6t !xg6 2B .Wff4t meB 29.Wff6 ttJe7 30.WfhBt md7

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2 1 .gah l !! White sacrifices the bishop in order to open the kingside. 2 1 . .. �g8 Black probably wants the transfer the queen to g7. Generally he cannot do much against the opening of the h-file. After 2 1 . . .gxh5 22.E!:xh5 E!:gB 23 .E!:hB the checkmate is just a matter of time. 8 7 6 5 4 3

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3 1 .WfbB! It is amazing, but Black finally loses on the queenside. 19.95 hxg5 Shakarov pointed out the line 1 9 . . . g6 20.gxh6! (20.!xg6? hxg5) 20 . . . gxh5 2 1 .E!:g l

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22.�h2! Shakarov brings all possible force to bear on the h-file.

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22 �f8 Black does not really know what to do and indeed he has no effective defence. For example, 22 . . . 'lMrf8 23.ixg6! wins for White. The best practical chance was probably 22 . . . 'lMrxg5 t •••

tLlf3t 26.mc l tLlxh2 27.tLlxh5 tLlg4 28.f3 wins for White) 2 5 .E!:xf3 E!:xh5 26.'lMrxh5 'lMrxg l 27.'lMre5 White invades with the queen. 24.E!:g l 'lMrf5 8

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Even here White has two promising routes. a) First there is: 23.f4 'lMrxh5 24Jhh5 E!:xh5 25 .'lMrg2 E!:xh l 26.'lMrxh l E!:xa3

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2 5 . E!:xg6!! 25 .ig4 E!:xh3 26.tLlxh3 tLlxd4 27.cxd4 c3t 28.md l 'lMre4 Black survives. 25 . . . tLlxd4 26.cxd4 c3t 27.E!:xc3 fxg6 28.tLlxg6t 'lMrxg6 29.E!:f3t! mg7 30.'lMrf4! 'lMrh6 3 1 .E!:g3t mh7 32 .ig6t 'lMrxg6 33.E!:xg6 mxg6 34.'lMrf6t mh7 3 5 .'lMrf7t mh6 36.'lMrxd7 White should win, as the queen is stronger than the rooks.

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27.f5 ! ! This attractive line was pointed out by Shakarov. 27 . . . gxf5 28 .'lMrh6 The knight will join in the attack, with fatal consequences for Black. b) Another promising way to develop the attack is: 23.tLlf4!? mf8 23 . . . tLlxe5 24.E!:g l tLlf3t (24 . . . E!:xh5 25.E!:xg5

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23.hg6! After this very pretty move it is all over for Black. White conducted his attack with great skill and force.

1 25

Chapter 4 Alexander Shakarov -

23 Y;Yxg5t 23 . . . �g8 24.�h8 �xgst 2S.f4 �xg6 26.�g l wins for White. 24.f4 gxh3 25.Y;Yxh3 Y;Yxg6 26.gg1 1-0 This was another fantastic attacking game. .•.

The next game is against a very strong grandmaster, who plays very safely. Let's see how Rozentalis tries to withstand the ferocious attack!

Alexander Shakarov - Eduardas Rozentalis Correspondence 1 986

l.e4 e5 2.tLlf3 tLlf6 3.tLlxe5 d6 4.tLlf3 tLlxe4 S.d4 dS 6 .td3 .td6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 c6 Kasparov also faced this variation twice against Shirov. The first time he won only because Alexei blundered badly. 9.Y;Yc2 This was Garry's choice in the second of the aforementioned encounters. 9 ... tLla6! 1 0.a3 One year earlier Rozentalis had faced 1 0 . .txe4. That game continued 1 0 . . . dxe4 1 1 .�xe4 �e8 1 2.�d3 .tg4 (Black has compensation according to Shakarov) 1 3 . .tgS Wfd7 1 4.CtJbd2 h6 I S . .te3 fS 1 6.CtJb3 .txf3 1 7.gxf3 �f7 1 8 .f4 CtJb4 1 9.�c3 �hS 20.CtJd2 gS 2 1 .�h l CtJdS 22.cxdS gxf4 23.CtJc4 �f3t Kruppa - Rozentalis, Lviv 1 98 5 , soon ended in a draw. 10 .tg4 1 1 .cS I I .CtJeS This move is by far the most common. Here are a couple of examples: Kasparov - Shirov, Wijk aan Zee 200 1 , continued 1 1 . . . .thS 1 2.cxdS cxdS 1 3.CtJc3 lDxc3 1 4.bxc3 �h8 ?! I S .f4 .txeS? 1 6.fxeS .tg6 1 7.a4 �d7 1 8 ..ta3 �fe8 1 9 . .txg6 fxg6 20.�b3 b6 2 1 ..td6 lDc7 22.�f3 �ac8 23.�af1 h6 24.�c2 Black was in serious trouble. •

•..

In Timofeev - Kosteniuk, Russia 2006, Black preferred: 1 1 . . . .txeS 1 2.dxeS CtJacS 1 3 .f3 lDxd3 1 4.�xd3 CtJcS I S .�d4 lDb3 1 6.�xg4 lDxa l 1 7 . .th6 g6 1 8 .lDc3 �b6t 1 9.�f2 �fe8 20.�f4 �c7 2 1 .�e2 �e6 22 ..tgS fS 23.�f1 d4 24.�xd4 CtJb3 2S .�d l CtJcS 26.b4 CtJd7 27.f4 The position was balanced and later ended in a draw. 1 1 . ...tc7 12.tLleS he5 Shakarov mentions the possibility of 1 2 . . . .thS ! ? It remains just an idea, as there is no example in the database. 1 3.dxe5 tLlaxcS!? Taking with the other knight, 1 3 . . . CtJexcS! is better. Black gets a comfortable position with it: 1 4 . .txh7t �h8 I S .b4 �h4 1 6 . .td3 CtJxd3 1 7.�xd3 Black drew all three games in which this position occurred.

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14.f3! After the inferior 1 4 . .txe4?! CtJxe4 I S .f3 �b6t 1 6.�h l fS ! 1 7.fxe4 fxe4 Black is slightly better according to Shakarov. 14 ... Y;Yb6 l S .te3 d4 1 6.hd4 gfd8! After 1 6 . . . �ad8 ? the analysis by Shakarov goes like this: 1 7 . .txe4 �xd4 1 8 . .txh7t �h8 1 9.fxg4 lDb3 ( 1 9 . . . �xg4 20.�h l g6 2 1 ..txg6) 20.�h l CtJxa l 2 1 .�fS cS 22 . .tg6! White wins thanks to the vulnerable position of the rook on f8 . 17.he4! •

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Shakarov points out that after 17 .ie3 �xd3 1 8 .�xd3 tLJxd3 1 9.ixb6 axb6 20.fxg4 tLJxb2 Black has a decent position despite being the exchange down. 17 �xd4 1 8 .h7t b l ? Now this move brings unfortunate consequences for White. 23.�c4 was relatively best, although Black can feel confident about his chances regardless, e.g. 23 . . . 'lWd7 24.�xb4 ia6 25.c4 d5 26.�xa4 'lWxa4 27.tLlc3 'lWd7 28 .�e l @f7 Black wins back the pawn with nice play.

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23 ...�a6! Another move on the edge increases the pressure. 24.c4 �c8! It was useful for Black to force the c-pawn to advance. The bishop has done its work, so it returns to the defence of e6. Now White will have to worry about various checkmating motifs. 2S.�f3 YHb6 26.YHe3 b3! 27.cS After 27.�xd6 'lWb7 28.tLlc3 �a l t 29.@xa l �a5t 30.@b l 'lWa8 Black wins.

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27 ... �al t! This is a well-known and attractive attacking idea, although it is not often that one gets the opportunity to use it at the board.

l31

Chapter 4 - Alexander Shakarov

28.xal %Va6t 29 ..ia5 %Vxa5t 30.b l

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30 ... dxe5! Black makes a relatively quiet move in the middle of the storm, before launching the knockout punch. This shows a good understanding of how to attack. 31 J�dl %Va2t 32.c1 %Val t 33.d2 gd5t 0-1 Trainers and pupils usually play against each other sooner or later, and Shakarov and Kasparov were no exceptions. It is worth seeing how they handled each other's imagination and attack. Naturally there were sacrifices.

Alexander Shakarov - Garry Kasparov Baku 1 976

l.e4 e5 2.�f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.�xd4 �f6 5.�e3 d6 6 ..ie2 a6 7.f4 �bd7 Most experts consider it risky to develop this knight on d7. Kasparov beat Short in a most instructive way when the Englishman tried it in the 1 994 Moscow Olympiad. 8 ..if3 %Ve7 9.0-0 .ie7 1 0.hl gb8 l 1 .a4 b6 Garry played g4 and g5 , but in that position Black had already castled.

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l 2.e5! Alexander plays aggressively. He sacrifices a pawn. l 2 ... dxe5 l 3.fxe5 �xe5 l4 ..if4 .ib7 l 5 ..ixb7 gxb7 l 6.gel 1 6.�e2! is more precise as it limits Black's options. l 6 ... �fd7 After 1 6 . . . �d3!? 1 7.�xd3 �xf4 1 8 .�xa6 EEd7 the position is unclear. There is also 1 6 . . . �eg4!? 1 7.�f3 �c8 1 8 .h3 h5 when White has compensation for the pawn, but nothing concrete. Had White played 1 6.�e2!, neither of these options would have been available to Black. l7.%Ve2 .id6 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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1 8.�db5? This is a cute idea, but not the best as it only leads to an equal endgame. Instead I S .'IMixa6! would have put Black in a very difficult situation. I S . . . 1& cS ( l S . . . O-O? 1 9.�db5 1&c4 20.E!:e4 wins for White) 1 9.�db5 ibS 20.�e4 Black is in trouble. 18 ... axb5 19.�xb5 �c6 20.�xd6t �xd6 2 1 ..ixe5 �xe5 22.�xe5 1/2-¥2

Alexander Semeniuk - Alexander Shakarov

1 5 .a3 is seen much more frequently, but Semeniuk elects to leave the a-pawns on the board. It means that Black will have another target, but in its favour the move prevents Black from using the a-file to invade. White hopes he will be able to do something with the time he gains while Black gobbles the pawn. 1 5 ... b4 16.�c2 �Uc8 17.�e2 Not 1 7.ixh7t? �xh7 I S .�xf7, when I S . . . 1&f4! wins easily. Interestingly this was missed in Shakarov and Kasparov's (pre computer) Chess Informant analysis. 17 ... bxc3 1 8.bxc3

USSR 1 98 1

l .e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 ad5 4 ..id3 �c6 5.c3 �f6 6 ..if4 .ig4 7.�b3 �d7!? Shakarov plays a well-known line here as well. 8.�d2 e6 9.�gf3 .Lf3 1 0.�x6 .id6!? 1 1 .hd6 �xd6 1 2.0-0 1 2.1&xb7 E!:bS 1 3 .1&a6 0-0 Black has nice compensation for the pawn. 1 2 ... 0-0 13J�ae1

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1 3 J3ab8 . .

Black plans the standard minority attack. He has little choice but to treat the position positionally. 14.�e5 b5 1 5J�e3

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1 8 ...�d8!? A mysterious move. Probably the aim is to defend the king and to have the chance to get to the queens ide via a5 as well. 19J�h3 g6 Now White must consider the possibility of . . . �xe5 , followed by dxe5 . . . �d7. Therefore he bolsters the knight. 20.f4 �e7 2 1 .�el ? Sometimes one slow move i s all i t takes to ruin the momentum of an attack. The critical continuation was 2 1 .g4!, leaving the c-pawn to its fate. After 2 1 . . .E!:xc3 White can choose between 22.f5 and 22.1&e l , both of which give him quite real attacking chances.

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2 1 . .. h5! This stops the attack dead in its tracks. Instead after 2 1 . . . �b2 22.g4! any result would be possible. After the text it is very hard for White to do anything on the kingside, while there is no doubting who controls the opposite flank. 22.�hl gb2 23.a4 �g7! This ensures that no 'accidents' will happen on the kingside. 24.gg1 ?! White was already short of time. 24 ... �f5 Black is in total control. 25.'iNal 'iNb6 Having constructed a bombproof fortress on the kingside, Black prepares to infiltrate on the opposite flank. 26.a5 'iNb3 27.Lf5 27.c4 is met by 27 . . . ttJg4!. 27 ... exfS 28.�d3 28.c4 ttJe4 wins for Black. 28 ... ga2 29.'iNfl After 29.ttJc1 ttJe4 does the trick, although there is an even better and prettier solution as well: 29 . . . ttJg4! 30.�f3 �xg2!! 29 ... �e4 Now White's king is under pressure as well. 30.�c1 'iNe2 3 1 .ga gxa5

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Black wins a pawn, but that is almost incidental. Far more important are his dominating pieces, which enable him to end his opponent's resistance with minimal fuss. 32.'iNe1 gal White's position is painful. Shakarov at least gives him the mercy of a quick death. 33.h3 gxe3 34.gxe3 'iNxe3 35.'iNxe3 �xe3 36.�h2 a5 37.ge1 a4 0-1 Shakarov calls this game "funny"!

Alexander Shakarov - Arif Mekhtiev USSR 1 982

l .e4 e5 2.�a �e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.�xd4 �f6 5.�e3 e5 6.�f5!? This move has virtually disappeared from high-level games. Probably there is no connection, but during the latter part of his career Garry avoided the main line Sveshnikov, even though he achieved some grandiose wins like the ones against Kramnik (Novgorod 1 994) and Shirov (Horgen 1 994) . 6 ... d5 7.exd5 Lf5 8.dxe6 bxe6! Black does better without exchanging the queens on d l . 9.'iNa 'iNe8 9 . . .'IWd7! is rightly more popular here. 10 ..ta6!

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The players attached these marks. 1 0 %Yxa6?! Safer was 1 0 . . . ig4! l 1 .ixcS ixf3 1 2.ih3 ih5 1 3 .0-0, when Black is only a little worse. 1 1 .%YxfS i.d6?? 1 1 . . . 4Jd7 12.i.g5? This move looks perfectly normal, but White could already have decided the game with 1 2.ih6! when Black's position simply falls apart. 12 tl)d5 13J�Ml 0-0 Not 1 3 . . . 4Jxc3? 1 4.bxc3 'lMfa3 1 5 JWd3 with a huge advantage. ..•

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14J�M3!? True to his style, Shakarov chooses an aggressive continuation. Shakarov and Kasparov give 1 4 .4Jxd5 cxd5 1 5 .�xd5 ib4 t as clearly better for Black, although after 1 6.c3 'lMfxa2 1 7.�d7 ic5 I S .0-0 'lMfxb2 1 9.'lMfxe5 the position is equal. 14 .. J:�ae8 This not a bad move, although it is slightly risky to cut off the king's route to the centre. Black's position now requires very precise handling. The two annotators suggest 1 4 . . . �feS and 1 4 . . . g6. 1 4 . . . ib4!? 1 5 .0-0 ixc3 1 6.bxc3 'lMfxa2 White does not seem to have a knockout blow.

15.tl)xd5 cxd5 1 6J��h3!? Shakarov chooses the most tempting attacking move. It is dangerous, but not decisive. Now, looking back, he prefers 1 6.�xd5 , after which 1 6 . . . e4 is roughly equal; Black has enough play for the pawn. The text is objectively a mistake, although in the game Black was unable to find the right path. 1 6 g6! Not 1 6 . . . h6? 1 7.ixh6 ib4t I s .id2 and White consolidates the pawn advantage. 17.i.fG i.e??? Black overlooks the picturesque reply. Also bad was 1 7 . . . 'IMf cS ?? I S . 'IMf g5 'IMf xc2 1 9.0-0 and Black gets checkmated. The correct continuation was: 1 7 . . . 'lMfc4! I S .'lMfg5 I S .�xh7? ib4t 1 9.c3 ( 1 9.@dl 'lMfd4t 20.@c 1 'lMfd2t 2 1 .@b l @xh7) 1 9 . . . ixc3t 20. bxc3 'lMfxc3t 2 1 .@e2 'lMfb2t 22.@d l 'lMfa l t 23.@d2 '1Mfxa2t 24.@d l 'lMfb3t 25.@e2 @xh7 wins for Black. I S . . . 'lMfe4t! Stronger than I S . . . 'lMff4 1 9.'lMfxf4 exf4 t 20.@d2;!;, as given by Kasparov and Shakarov in Chess Informant. 1 9.@d2 1 9.@dl �cS 20.c3 �bS 2 1 .b4 ixb4 22.'lMfh6 'lMfb l t 23.@e2 'lMfc2t 24.@f3 'lMfxc3t 2 5 .@g4 'lMfd4t 26.@g3 'lMff4t Black has decent winning chances. 1 9.@f1 'lMfc4t 20.@g l (20.@ e l 'lMfxc2) 20 . . . 'lMfxc2 2 1 .g4 �cS 22.'lMfh6 'lMfc 1 t Black neutralizes the attack by exchanging the queens. 23 .'lMfxc 1 �xc 1 t 24. @g2 �c2 Black is better. 1 9 . . . ib4t A good alternative is 1 9 . . . 'IMf d4 t 20. @c 1 �bS 2 1 .'lMfh6 (2 1 .c3? 'lMfxf2) 2 1 . . .'lMfxb2t Black has at least a perpetual, and quite possibly more. 20.c3 �bS! This is winning according to Shakarov. White certainly faces a difficult defence. ..•

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8 7 6

1 2.Wfg4 Shakarov once again goes for a sharp main line. 1 2 WfxeS?! Mter the more reliable 1 2 . . . �b6 Black has scored reasonably. 1 3 .ie2 1 3 .ixb5 is the main line. Wahls - Brunner, Berne 1 990, continued 1 3 . . . axb5 1 4.�he l h5 1 5 .�h4 �c5 1 6.�g3 !c6 1 7.!f4 ie7 1 8 .�xe6 0-0 1 9.1Db3 �xc3 20.�xc3 fxe6 Y2-Y2 . 13 ... ttlf6? If 1 3 . . . h5 1 4.�h4 g6 1 5 .if3 is strong. And after 1 3 . . . !c5 then 1 4.lDf3!, as recommended by Alexander and Garry. 14..ixf6 Wfxf6 Black introduced this novelty. 1 4 . . . gxf6 1 5 .�he 1 �g5t ( 1 5 . . . h5 1 6.�h3 lDd7 1 7.ixb5 �f4t 1 8 .@b l 0-0-0 1 9.ic6 f5 ?! Black commits a losing mistake in a difficult position. 20.ixb 7t @xb7 2 1 .g3 �c7 22.�g2t @b6 23.lDa4t and Black resigned, Torre - Sigurjonsson, Geneva 1 977.) 1 6.�xg5 fxg5 1 7.ih5 @e7 1 8 .�fl f5 1 9 .�fe 1 Black's king was caught in the centre in Balinas - Tarjan, Odessa 1 976. •..

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With the move played in the game, Black has placed his neck well and truly under the guillotine. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was not feeling merciful. 18.WfhS!! 1-0 The final move was not too hard to find, but it is beautiful nonetheless. Here is another trademark attacking game.

Alexander Shakarov E. Lucker -

Correspondence 1982

l .e4 cS 2.ttla d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ttlxd4 ttlf6 S.tt:'lc3 a6 6 ..igS e6 7.f4 bS Garry once said in one of his DVDs that the Polugaevsky variation is sound. However he never played it with Black. S.eS dxeS 9.fxeS Wfc7 1 0.Wfe2 Nowadays I I .exf6 has taken over as the main line. 10 ... ttlfd7 1 1 .0-0-0 .ib7 Another line is 1 1 . . .b4 1 2.lDe4 lDxe5!? I tried this novelty in a friendly e-mail match between Hungary and Estonia. 1 3 .lDf3 ( 1 3 .�h5! ?) 1 3 . . . lDbd7 1 4.lDxe5 �xe5 1 5 .�f3 ib7 1 6Jhd7 �xg5t 1 7.lDxg5 !xf3 1 8 .�xf7 idS 1 9.�f4 ic5 20.@d2 �d8 2 1 .id3 !e7 22.lDf3 e5 23.lDxe5 !g5 Black went on to win, Tarmak - Karolyi, e-mail 2000.

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I S.ttlcxbS! White has to hurry, for if Black manages to castle, his two bishops will simply overpower White. I S WfeS ..•

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After 1 5 . . . axb5 1 6.�xb5t rtle7 1 7JWg3! e5 1 8 .�hf1 wins for White. 1 6J�he l ! This i s natural and strong. However White has another powerful continuation: 1 6.ttJxe6!! fxe6

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1 9.Uxg7 Black is two pieces up but suffers from a chronic lag in development - a typical nightmare scenario for the Polugaevsky variation. 19 ...Uf4t 20.�bl Uf7 20 . . . ttJd7 2 1 .�h5t rtld8 22.�xe6 is crushing. 2 1 .Uxh8t i.m The moment of truth has arisen, and once again Shakarov finds a way to end the game in style.

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1 7.ttJc7t!! Wixc7 1 7 . . . rtle7 1 8.Wib4t rtlf6 1 9.�hf1 t rtlg6 20.�d3t rtlh6 2 1 .Wixb7 and White wins. 1 8 .Wixe6t Wie7 1 8 . . . �e7 1 9.�h5 t g6 20.�xg6t hxg6 2 1 .Wixg6t rtlf8 22.�hf1 t leads to a checkmate. 1 9.�h5 t White lights a firework which ends in a checkmate. 1 9 . . . g6 20.�xg6t hxg6 2 1 .Wixg6t Wif7 22.�he 1 t �e4 23.�xe4t �e7 24.�xe7t! rtlxe7 25 .Wid6t rtle8 26.Wid8# The d8-square was the soft spot. 1 6 ...i.e7 17.ttlc7t! White could also have taken a more positional approach with 1 7.�f3!? Wig5t 1 8 .Wixg5 �xg5 t 1 9. rtl b 1 . The exchange of queens does not solve all of Black's problems. Alexander's move is even stronger though - and it is certainly more representative of his style! 17 ... Uxc7 1 8.ttlxe6 fxe6 This is relatively best. 1 8 . . . Wie5 leads to an impressive checkmate: 1 9.�b5t! Wixb5 2o.lDc7t �f8 2 1 .lDxb5 axb5 22.�d8t! �xd8 23.Wib4t and Black will be killed on the back rank.

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22.i.hS! 1-0 This is not the only win, but it is the most elegant and effective. Mate follows shortly, e.g. 22 . . . Wixh5 (22 . . . ttJd7 23.�xf7t rtle7 24.�xe6) 23.�xe6t rtlf7 24.�f6t etc. The next game is again typical for Alexander's style, featuring opposite-sided castling and mutual king-hunting.

Alexander Shakarov - Konstantin Grivainis Correspondence 1 987

1 .e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3.ttlc3 dxe4 4.ttlxe4 ttld7 S.i.c4 ttlgfG 6.ttlgS e6 7.Ue2 ttlb6 8.i.d3 h6 9.ttlS8 cS 1 0.dxcS hcs l 1 .ttleS ttlbd7

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1 2.�gf3 �xe5 1 2 . . J&c7 is the main line. Then 1 3.if4 ib4t leads to an interesting variation. 1 3.�xe5 0-0 14.i.d2 Castling long naturally leads to a sharper game than short castling. 14 ...%Yd5 Black wants to stop long castling by attacking a2. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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1 5.0-O-0!? He could have castled short, but then Black would have nothing much to fear. The text is much more aggressive and leads to positions that are difficult and risky for both players. I should add that the position was already well known, so it was not an original decision. 15 ...%Yxa2 1 6.c3 b5 If 1 6 . . . ia3 then 1 7.ie3 defends. 17 ..bh6 i.b7 The daring 1 7 . . . b4! ? I B .ttJg4 Wa I t 1 9 .ib l tLlxg4 20.'lWxg4 g6 2 1 .'lWf3 :geB led to an interesting fight in Reinert - Cu. Hansen, Politiken Cup 1 9B 1 . The game later ended in a draw after White made a perpetual check. 18.i.g5 This was a new move. One previous game had continued I B .ttJd7 ttJxd7 1 9.'lWg4 Wa l t 20.ib l g6 2 1 .:gxd7 ia3 22.bxa3 'lWxc3t 23.�d l :gfdB 24.:gd2 Wa l 25.�e2 'lWe5t 26.�d l Y2-Y2 Chandler - Speelman, Brighton 1 9B4.

1 8 ...i.e7 Also critical was: I B . . . ttJd5 1 9.Wh5 1 9.ttJd7 ttJxc3 20.'lWc2 :gfcB 1 9 . . .f5 Another possibility is 1 9 . . . 'lWa l t 20.�c2 (20.ib l f5 transposes) 20 . . . 'lWa4t 2 1 .�d2 f5 22.ttJg6 id6. It is a wild middlegame! 20.ib l 'lWa l 2 1 .ttJg4 2 1 .tLlg6 id6! stops the threat of 22.'lWhB and 23.ttJe5t. Alternatively, there is: 2 1 .:gd3 ia3 22.bxa3 ttJxc3 23.ttJg6 'lWxb l t 24.�d2 'lWb2t 2 5 . �e3 f4t 26.ixf4 tLld5t 27.:gxd5 :gxf4 2B.ttJe7t (2B . f3 exd5) 2B . . . �fB 29.�xf4 'lWxf2t 30.Wf3 Wxf3t 3 1 .gxf3 exd5 Black is not worse. 2 1 . . .ia3 2 1 . . .fxg4 22.Wh7t �O 23.'lWg6t �gB 24.'lWxe6t :gO 25.:gxd5 ixd5 26.'lWxd5 :gcB 27.'lWe4 White's attack is dangerous. 22.ttJh6t gxh6 23 .Wg6t �hB 24.'lWxh6t �gB 25 .'lWg6t �hB I see no more than a perpetual for White. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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19.�d7! �fd8? Black's queen is out of play and Shakarov's opponent leaves it on the worst square. 1 9 . . . 'lWa l t 20.�c2 (20.ib l Now the queen pins the bishop, making 20 . . . :gfdB! more favourable than in the game.) 20 . . . 'lWa4t From

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here it defends the fourth rank. 2 1 .�b l E!:fc8 22.ixf6 ixf6 White's position is preferable, but it is nothing serious. 20.i.xf6 .ixf6 2 1 .�xf6t gxf6 22.VMg4t Cit>f8 23.VMb4t! Cit>g7 24.,ixb5 White improved both his queen and the bishop thanks to the 'spectator' queen on a2. 24 ....id5? Maybe the fact that White's last two moves brought something to the queenside made Black forget about the other wing. Relatively best was 24 . . . f5 25.f3 id5 26:�Va4, although White is still a pawn up.

Alexander to bring his rook into the attack. He exploits it with remarkable precision, finding the best moves all the way to the end. 25 £5 26.VMe7! f4 27.VMg5t Cit>f8 28.�h3 Black is on the verge of being mated, so he must try to counterattack. 28 VMal t 29.Cit>c2 .ie4t 30.Cit>b3 Do not be alarmed by the position of the king - the winner has it all worked out! 30 .id5t •..

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25J�d3! Black has closed the d-file, thus allowing

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3 1 .c4! ,ixc4t 32.,ixc4 �ab8t 33 ..ib5! The queen was playing her role in the defence as well as the attack! 1-0 This was a very skilful attacking display.

I would say that these examples prove beyond any doubt that Shakarov is a superb attacking player. There is no denying that Kasparov possessed a rare combination of qualities that make a champion: immense talent, the desire to work hard when training at home, and a phenomenal competitive determination to fight when at the board. In addition the Soviet Union provided a superb environment for chess. At the same time, I doubt it is a coincidence that he was at his best in dynamic attacking positions, just like his mentor at an early age. I was able to ask Shakarov some questions, and was extremely happy to receive his answers.

I checked my database, and the facts contradict one another. It says you were born in 1940, but the title ofyour Karpov game says you played Karpov at the under-18 championship ofthe USSR in 1966. Can you clarify please? "I was born in 1 948 in Baku."


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Couldyou talk a bit about yourfamily? "My mother was an accountant; my father was a machinist and my brother as well." How didyou start playing chess? "I became interested in chess after the 1 96 1 Botvinnik-Tal match, and the 1 96 1 USSR Championship, which was held in Baku. I was a fanatical follower of Tal. I started to play only in 1 962, very late." Who was your trainer? "My trainer was Rafael Sarkisov, who was the trainer of the Spartak Club in Baku." What is your profession, didyou go to university? "I graduated from the State University of Physics of Azerbaijan; my profession is chess trainer." �re you a professional player and trainer? "I have never been a professional player, but started work as a trainer in 1 97 1 ." I have heard interesting stories aboutyour 1966 Karpov game; I was told afteryour game you predicted he would become a world champion. Please talk about this game! "In the 1 966 game I squeezed, squeezed and squeezed, but by the time of the adjournment it became a draw. Mter the game Alexander Roshal came to me and told me: Don't be upset, he will become a world champion!" Can you show that game? "Unfortunately the score sheet is lost, and the database only gives 22 moves." What does chess mean to you? "Chess for a long time was the most important thing for me. I was a fanatic, then it became my profession." Can you recall when you first met Garry? "The first time was in January 1 972 when he played at the schoolboys' championship where I was an arbiter." When didyou start training him and how long didyou train him? "Officially in September 1 976, unofficially from 1 973." Could you explain it in a more detailed way? "In the years 1 973- 1 975 I worked with Garry unofficially, and it was not that regular. There were even some weeks when we did not do anything. There were two groups and Garry officially was in the other one. The trainer of the other section was Oleg Privorotsky who was his first trainer. However, from 1 973 onwards Garry was selected for the national teams of Azerbaijan (schoolboys, juniors and youngsters) . I was the senior trainer of these national teams."

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1977 - NN, Klara Kasparova,

NN,

Garry Kasparov and Shakarov

Did you follow any plan when you trained him? "The main plan was constructed by Botvinnik." Couldyou please say a few words about what a session was like? "I no longer remember well what themes we worked on - you know, three decades have passed. In our sessions we usually followed Botvinnik's and Alexander Nikitin's plan. And in addition sometimes we analysed very tough and complicated opening positions. I recognized the 'tracks' of our work in Garry's play only in the openings." What are his best qualities as a player? " His best qualities as a player are that he handles pressure intrepidly and he calculates a lot . . . " was there a point when you realized he was stronger than you? "Garik became stronger than me roughly in 1 978 or 1 979." Were you in the tournament hall during the last game ofthe second Karpov-Kasparov match when he obtained the title? "No, I was not in the tournament hall during that game." In one of his interviews after retirement Garry estimated that he had played 250 good games, no other player produced as many. I agree with that; maybe it is worth pointing out that the number he mentions is only his winning games. Some draws must have been great too, andplayers had to come up with something spectacular to beat him. What is yourfavourite Kasparov game? "Garry has so many very effective games. It is almost impossible to select his 1 -3 best games. Maybe for me his most unusual and spectacular was the 1 6th game of his second World Championship match with Karpov." I was wondering which one it was. A quick search brings a bit of a surprise, the Dely gambit game. Let me show that masterpiece!

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Anatoly Karpov - Garry Kasparov

2 1 . . . g5 22.�xd6 Wxd6 23.g3 ltJd7 24.�g2 Wf6 2 5 . a3 a5 26.axb4

World Ch. ( 1 6) , Moscow 1 98 5

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1 6 . . . ltJd3 1 7.ltJab l h6 1 8 .�h4 b4 1 9.ltJa4 �d6 20.�g3 .!c8 2 1 .b3 8

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33 . . . ltJe4 34.Wxd3 ltJf2t 3 5 . .!xf2 �xd3 36 . .!fd2 We3 37 . .!xd3 .!c 1 38.ltJb2 Wf2 39.ltJd2 .!xd l t 40.ltJxd l .!e 1 t 0- 1 Kasparov subsequently referred to this game as his "supreme creative achievement".

Do you have pupils nowadays? "Since 1 990 I only worked with Garry, nowadays I help him to write books."

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Have you ever experienced difcult times with him? "We had bad relations only for a few days, because of politics."

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What are your hobbies, what do you do in your spare time? "I like to read books, and to watch films and DVDs." Were you worried when he entered politics? "I do not like politics." How do you judge the changes in Russia and in the former Soviet Union? "Communism is unreal, it is a utopia; capitalism is real, but it is a bad system." Thank you very much indeed He only answered about half of the questions - it seems to me he is a very private person. Anyway I am very glad to present this interview. After we had conducted the interview, he told me about one more game that he believed might be of interest to the readers. It provides another excellent illustration of his superb attacking play, so it is a good thing the game came to his mind! His analysis is also great material. By the way Alexander reminded me that this game was from the same tournament in which he had played Garry.

Alexander Shakarov - Fikret Sideif Sade Baku 1 976

l .e4 e5 2.tLlO tLle6 3.J.b5 a6 4.J.xe6 dxe6 5.0-0 �d6 6.d4 Later the alternative 6.lLla3 became the most frequently played move in the position. 6 exd4 7.tLlxd4 J.d7 S.J.e3 0-0-0 Shakarov thinks going for the endgame with 8 . . . c5! is the simplest for Black. After 9.lLlb3 (9.lLle2!?) 9 . . .'lWxd l l OJ:�xd l b6 he evaluates the position as equal. 9.tLld2 �g6 The strong Azeri international master plays a well-known move, yet he follows up with a .•.

risky, unknown plan. An alternative is 9 . . . lLlh6 1 0.f3 g5 ! ? (Or 1 0 . . .f5 . Opening the position is in Black's interest; in this case he wants to get at the c2-pawn.) l 1 .lLlc4 Wig6 1 2.lLle5?! Wig? with a balanced position. 1 0.�e2 h5?! This is a novelty, the main line is 1 0 . . . lLlh6 l 1 .f3 f5 . 1 1 .0 h4 12.tLle4 �h5? The queen does very little here. 1 3J�adl f6 I quote Shakarov: ''After the game I saw the not very smart 1 3 . . . g6 in two different books."

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14.tLlb3! In the previous moves Shakarov has played well, although all the moves were quite natural. This fine attack-building move is automatic. 14 ... tLlh6 It is difficult to identify a particular one of Black's moves, from this point on, that deserves a question mark. It seems to me that his overall strategy is simply too slow. Yet the touch of a special attacker is required to reveal it. 1 5.�f2 f8 36. cj;>f2! All of White's pieces are ideally placed, except for one. Not for much longer though . . . 36 ... cj;>e7 37. cj;>e3 cj;>d8

151

Karoly Honfi

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38. cj;> d4 White's domination is now complete, and it is not long before material gains follow. 38 �c7 39.�f1 ttlb8 40.ttle5 cj;>e8 4 1 .ttlxc6 ttlxc6t 42. cj;>xd5 1-0 ..•

Honfi played for the Hungarian team at two Olympiads. In the 1 95 8 Munich Olympiad he scored a total of three wins, with five draws and two losses. He also participated 1 6 times in the final of the national championship. His best result in this event was the silver medal, which he achieved twice. I must stress that in those years the line-up was much stronger than it is today, as all of Hungary's top players used to enter. Portisch, Szabo, Barcza and everyone else who mattered, played. If we compare the modern era, it is enough to point out that Peter Leko has never been the 'official' Hungarian Champion, having not participated for more than a decade, while Judit Polgar's last appearance was back in 1 99 1 . Honfi's first silver medal came just a bit after the revolution, in 1 95 8 . He finished with 1 2Y2 points from 1 8 games; a full point ahead of jointly third placed Barcza and Forintos, and just half a point behind Lajos Portisch, who won the first of his eight Hungarian titles.

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Here is one of Honfi's best games from the tournament, played against one of his main rivals.

Gyozo Forintos - Karoly Honfi

grandmaster remarked, "Next time I should not be so pessimistic . . . "

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Hungarian Championship, Budapest 1 9 5 8

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l .c4 f5 2.g3 tLlf6 3.d4 e6 4 ..tg2 .tb4 t 5 ..td2 .te7 6JWb3 d5 Honfi rarely played the Stonewall, although at this stage in his career he seemed happy experimenting with several different systems. Later the Griinfeld became his main weapon , agamst queen s pawn openmgs. 7.tLlc3 c6 8.tLla 0-0 White has not chosen an especially critical set-up, and the position is roughly equal. 9.tLle5 c;t>h8 10 ..tg5 tLlbd7 l 1 .tLlxd7 tLlxd7 1 2 ..txe7 Ylixe7 Up to here both sides have played quite sensibly, but now White goes astray. 13.f4? tLlb6! Forcing White to make a difficult decision. 14.c5 1 4.cxd5 exd5 was also not great for White. Such an exchange is usually helpful for Black in the Stonewall, since it helps to improve his problem bishop. In the present position White's backward e-pawn, combined with the possibility of an invasion on the e3-square, would only add to his troubles. 14 tLlc4 15.c;t>f2? This is asking too much of the white position, although the positional threat of . . . b6 was tough to meet in any case. Grandmaster Forintos was a very strong player, but he was known for being very optimistic. Let me share with you one famous story about him. His opponent could have checkmated in two, so Forintos - rather cheekily one might think - offered a draw. His opponent declined, but missed the mate and went on to lose. After the game the Hungarian

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1 5 e5!! This very nice breakthrough exploits the unfortunate placement of White's king. 1 6.fxe5? White chooses the weaker capture. Relatively best would have been 1 6.dxe5 , although following 1 6 . . . Wxc5t 1 7.cit>e l ctJe3 1 8 .j,f3 b5 Black is clearly better. 1 6 f4! 17. c;t>gl .•.

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17 ... tLlxe5!! Black makes a second sacrifice on the same square. This is an example of a sacrifice that can be justified by pure calculation, rather than intuition.

Chapter 5

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1 8.�f1 It was not hard to see that after 1 8 .dxe5 ? Wxc5t 1 9.@f1 fxg3t 20.@e 1 Black could, at the very least, regain his piece with 20 . . . Wf2t, although the alternatives 20 . . . gxh2 and 20 . . J!f2 are probably even stronger. 1 8 ... �g6 1 9.�f2 �e3 20.�dl 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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Karoly Honfi

The following game, played in round 6, featured an attractive combination.

Karoly Honfi - Josef Lokvenc Varna (01) 1 962

l .e4 e5 2.�a �c6 3.�c3 �fG 4.d4 exd4 5.�xd4 d6 6.i.e2 Honfi settles for a modest scheme of development. He could also have placed the bishop on b5, transposing to the Steinitz variation of the Ruy Lopez. 6 ...i.e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.f4 i.d7 9.i.a �xd4 1 0.�xd4 i.g4 Black decides to force the exchange of a minor piece in order to make his position less cramped.

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20 ...�xd4 White is material down, and his position is a mess. The game is virtually over. 2 1 .gxf4 �xc5 22.e3 i.g4 23.�c2 �xf4! 24.�f2 �e2t 25.@f1 �e7 26.�xe2 i.xe2t 27.@xe2 �h4 28.�f1 �h5t 29.@el �xh2 30.i.h3 �ae8 3 1 .i.d7 �e7 32.�a3 �ef7 33.e4 �h4 Avoiding the final banana skin: 33 . . Jhf2?? 34.Wxf8t and mate. 34.@dl �d8 0-1 Honfi represented his country in the 1 96 1 European team championship, scoring four wins, with two draws and four losses. He was close to beating Geller, but the game ended in a draw. The following year he achieved an excellent total of six wins, three draws and three losses at the Varna Olympiad. It was the second and, as it turned out, the last time he would take part in this most prestigious of team competitions.

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l 1 .b3! The bishop will be ideally placed on the long diagonal. H ...he 1 2.�xf3 �d7 13.i.b2 i.fG 14.�d5! With this non-stereotypical move Honfi transfers his heavy artillery to Black's danger zone. 14 ...�c8 1 5.�dl �b6 1 6.�h5 g6? This weakens the kingside too much. 1 6 . . . We6 was necessary. 17.�h6 i.g7

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1 2.%Ye2 a6 13J�ael �e8 14.f4 %Ya5 1 5.£5 @h8 1 6.fxg6 fxg6 17.@hl tLlxd5 1 8.�f7 tLlf6 19 ..id2 %Ye5

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1 8.tLld5!! This is not such a difficult move to find, but it makes a wonderful impression nonetheless. 1 8 ... f6 Taking the queen allows mate in one, and 1 8 . . . .ixb2 1 9.tDe7t @h8 20.tDxc8 leaves Black with only two pieces for the queen. 1 9.tLle7t @f7 20.%Yxh7 As Ervin Haag told me, Honfi quite frequently achieved winning posltlons within a small number of moves. A lot of his opponents were not able to stand the pressure in the opening. In this game Black limps on for another ten moves, but the game is over as a contest. 20 ...%Yg4 2 1 .f5 tLld7 22.h3 %Yxe4 23.fxg6t @xe7 24.%Yxg7t @e6 25J�dd3 %Yel t 26.@h2 %Ya5 27J�de3t tLle5 28 ..he5 dxe5 29J�d3 f5 30.%Yd7t 1-0 The following was his most impressive victory in Varna.

Karoly Honfi Edrnar Mednis -

Varna (01) 1 962

l .e4 e5 2.tLlf3 tLle6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 tLlf6 5.tLle3 d6 6 ..ie4 .id7 7.0-0 g6 8 ..ig5 .ig7 9.tLlxe6 .ixe6 1 0.tLld5 .ixd5 l 1 .exd5 0-0

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20 ..ie6 White has recently sacrificed a pawn for a strong grip on the light squares. His active rook also gives Black cause for concern. 20 ... d5 2 1 ..ie3 d4?! This allows the light-squared bishop to become very powerful. 2 1 . . . � d6 should have been preferred. 22 ..igl �ad8?! Black should have taken the opportunity to escape the pin with 22 . . . �b4!? In that case White certainly has compensation for the pawn, but it is hard to say whether it is enough to claim an advantage. 23.e3! d3?! Mednis continues his downward spiral. The endgame offers no relief, so 23 . . . tDh5 should have been preferred, although White would still be better after 24.'lWe4!. 24..he5 dxe2 25.�xe2 �dl t 26 ..igl �bl 27.g3 White will soon escape the pin and have a very pleasant endgame. With the benefit of hindsight, 27.g4!? may have been even better. 27 ... tLlg8 28.@g2 �d8

Chapter 5

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Karoly Honfi

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37.gxh6t �xh6 38.�a �g5 39.�e4 �h4 40.�d4 b6 41 .�c3 h5 42.�b3 �g5 1-0 Later that same year ( 1 962) , Honfi achieved the International Master title.

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29 ..td4!? Honfi decides to exchange the valuable bishop that was defending Black's king. He could have made some preparatory pawn moves like 29.a4!? or 29.g4!?, but he preferred to force matters. 29 ...hd4 30.cxd4 ge8 3 1 .g4 tLlh6 32.ga gd8 33.d5 �g7 34.gc2 The rook invades. 34 ... gm 35.gxf8 �xf8 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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36.g5! Mednis must have overlooked this move. Out of nowhere, White has cleverly trapped the knight. 36 ... �g7 Moving the knight to f5 would have allowed mate. The text is barely an improvement.

During most of Honfi's career, Lajos Portisch was the Hungarian number one. According to his scoresheets, his personal score in decisive games was three wins and ten losses. The following game was the last of Karcsi Bacsi's (Uncle Karcsi's) wins. At the time of the game Portisch was about to become a world championship candidate for the eighth time - more than any other player in chess history.

Lajos Portisch - Karoly HonG Hungarian Championship, Budapest 1 963

l .d4 tLlf6 2.c4 g6 3.tLlc3 .tg7 4.e4 d6 5.tLla 0-0 6 ..tg5 This is not in fashion anymore. 6 ... c5 One natural and critical continuation is 6 . . . h6!? 7.ih4 (7.ie3 ct:Jg4) 7 . . . g5 8 .ig3 ct:Jh5, eliminating a valuable bishop. I think this is why White's sixth move fell out of favour. 7.d5 Wl'a5 8.tLld2 8 .id3!? looks more natural to me, as it brings a new piece into play. 8 ... a6 9.a4 e5 Now the game resembles a Czech Benoni. Honfi used to play this system from time to time. 10 ..te2 tLlbd7 I 1 .WI'c2 I would prefer 1 1 .g4! ?, gammg space on the kingside. If Black ever plays . . . f5 , the e4square would fall under White's control. And if Black refrains from the pawn break, he risks being choked by his opponent's space advantage. 1 1 ..JWc7 12.a5 �h8!

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This is a square-clearance. The g8-square will be utilized by several pieces. 13.0-0 ttlg8 14J:Ub l fS Allow me to quote Portisch himself: "I remember that 1 used to play this line at that time, but later - certainly not because of this game 1 gave it up. This is really a nice game from Honfi, although 1 think that 1 was better from the beginning but then 1 started to make a few weak moves. Perhaps he surprised me by avoiding his favourite Griinfeld! Honfi was really born for that opening. His intuition is flowing in his opening repertoire. Many of his ideas have become popular after his death!" -

The f6-knight arrives at a wonderful outpost after a long journey. 22.i.f1 dxcS 23.�b6 �g7 24.�a2 f3 2S.@hl

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I S.exf5 White does not want to allow . . .f4 followed by the traditional pawn onslaught. On the other hand, Black will now enjoy improved central control, not to mention the open g-file. IS ... gxf5 16.ttldl i.h6! 17 ..bh6 ttlxh6 1 8.�a3 ttlfG 1 9JWc3 1 9.�h3 �g8!? 1 9 ... f4! It is easy to overlook "anti-positional" moves like this when one visualizes a position far in advance. 20.b4 ttlfS 2 1 .bxcS ttld4

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2S ...i.h3!? It is remarkable, Black did not move his queenside rook and bishop for 25 moves, but now he makes an impressive move. However, the straightforward 25 . . . fxg2t! was objectively stronger. After 26.ixg2 ltJe2! White is in trouble. 26.ttlxB ttle4 27.�e3 ttlxB 28.�xe4? Under pressure, White commits an error. He had to try one of the alternatives: 28 .�h6 �xh6 29.�xh6 ltJfd2 (29 . . . ig4 30.ie2) 30.ie2 ixg2t 3 1 .@xg2 �g8t 32.@h l �g5 33 .h3 �ag8 34.ig4 1tJxc4 3 5 .�c2 ltJcd6 Black is a pawn up, however White has chances as well. 28.�ab2 �f4 29.�xb7 �g5 30.�b8t �xb8 3 1 .�xb8t @g7 32.�b7t @h6 33 .�b6t @h5 Black's pieces are menacing. 28 ... �f4 29.�b l 29.�d3 �g8 30.g3 e4 wins for Black. 29 ... �h4 Threatening mate in two. This is good enough to win the game, although 29 . . . �g8! 30.g3 ixfl 3 1 .1tJe3 ixc4! would have been even clearer. 30.�g6!?

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Chapter 5 - Karoly Honfi This imaginative sacrifice postpones the end, but does not really change anything. 30.gxf3 El:g8 was pretty hopeless. 30 ... hxg6 Black could have ended the game in style with 30 . . . i.f5 ! . 3 1 .gxh3 �f7! 32J�a3 �f4 33J�xf3 �xf3t

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he lost two games and gave it up forever. 6.d4 b5 7 . .tb3 d5 S.dxe5 .te6 9.c3 .tc5 1 0.�e2 The position has become a hybrid of the 9.c3 line and the Keres variation. By the way, I think the great Estonian player was Karcsi Bacsi's favourite, j udging by the way in which he spoke about his games. Kasparov's magic also touched him. 10 ... 0-0 1 1 ..te3 � e7!? Black develops naturally. 12.�bd2 �xd2 13.�xd2 he3 14.�xe3 �a5 1 5.�d4 c5 1 6.�xe6 fxe6 17 ..tc2 �c4 I S.�h3 g6 By placing his pawns on light squares, Black restricts his opponent's bishop. 1 9.b3

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Portisch has staved off the attack for the time being, but the two lost exchanges are too high a price. Black is completely winning, and Honfi makes no further mistakes. 34 ..tg2 �e2 35.�e3 �xfl 36.�g4 �f4 37.�b2 geS 3S.d6 gh7 39.c;t>gl gd7 40 ..td5 gxd6 41 .�xb7 gfS 42.c;t>g2 �f1 t 0-1 In 1 965 Honfi obtained his second runner-up place in the Hungarian Championship final. Here is one of his wins, which I always show to any of my pupils who play the Open Spanish.

Joszef Szily - Karoly Honfi Hungarian Championship, Budapest 1 965

l .e4 e5 2.�f3 �c6 3 ..tb5 a6 4 ..ta4 �f6 5.0-0 �xe4 Honfi's most frequent answer to 1 .e4 was the Accelerated Dragon, but the second was the Open Spanish; at least, until 1 976 when

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1 9 ... �a3! On this occasion the knight stands well on the edge. 20 ..tdl a5 It seems that Black is gaining space on the queenside, although the move turns out to have more than one purpose. 2 1 ..tg4 ga6! Honfi shows his originality; now another piece finds a good home on the a-file. 22.f4 b4 23.gac1 c4 The queens ide pawns advance steadily. 24.c;t>hl c;t>g7

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This Karpovian style of preparatory king move was not his favourite way of playing, but he was able to adapt quite well to the requirements of the position. 2S ..te2 Bringing back the queen to the centre by 25 .'lWe3! was the right move.

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2S .. J�c6! 26.cxb4 White cannot stand the tension any longer. 26.'lWe3 also does not help after 26 . . . 'lWc5! (26 . . . �fc8 27.cxb4 axb4 28.g4 and Black must pay much more attention to the kingside than in the game) 27.'lWxc5 �xc5 28.bxc4 dxc4 29.cxb4 axb4. The endgame is nice for Black. 26 ... axb4 27.g4 Waiting passively was nasty for White too. 27 ...'flc7 2S.'flg3 @hS 29.bxc4 dxc4 30.'flel Maybe 30J!fd l gave better chances than the game, but White is struggling either way. 30 ... c3 3 1 ..td3 tLlc4! For many moves the knight did a fine job in supporting the advancing pawns. Now that this objective has been fulfilled, the pawns will return the favour by controlling a wonderful outpost square for the knight. 32JH'2 Exchanging on c4 would have left White facing a miserable major piece endgame. 32 ... tLld2 33.£5

This is a bit of desperation, but White did not wish to wait for a slow but certain death. 33 ... gxf5 34.gxf5 gcS 34 . . . exf5 3 5 .�xf5 �xf5 36.i.xf5 �c5 also wins. 3S.fxe6 gxf2!? This gives extremely good practical winning chances, and Honfi deserves some credit for finding it as he would have had to foresee his excellent 39th move. Objectively speaking, however, the strongest continuation would have been: 3 5 . . . �g8 ! My analysis continues: 36.i.e4 eDxe4 37.'lWxe4 �xe5 38 .�f7 �xe4 39.�xc7 �xe6 40.a3 If 40.�c4 �ge8 4 1 .�xb4 �e I t 42.�xe 1 �xe l t 43.@g2 c2 Black wins. 40 . . . b3! 4 1 .�7xc3 b2 42.�b l No better is 42.�f1 �e2 43.�c7 �b8 44.�b 1 �be8 . 42 . . . �e2 43.�b3 43.a4 �gg2 44.a5 �xh2t 45 .@gl �eg2t 46.@f1 �c2 47.@g l �hd2 wins for Black. 43 . . . �gg2 44.a4 �c2 45 .a5 �gd2 White cannot survive. 36.'flxf2 'flb7t 37.'flg2 'flxg2t 3S.@xg2 gxeS 39.a3

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39 ... tLlb3!! The tempting 39 . . . �e3 is not good enough,

Chapter 5

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as shown by 40.e7! b3 4 1 .:gxc3 :gxe7 42.@f2 and White holds. 40J:�c2? This loses a vital tempo. 40.:gfl ! combined with extremely accurate follow-up play, may j ust enable White to save the game. All Black's moves are close to winning, but I have not been able to find anything conclusive: 40 . . . bxa3 4 1 .:gf8t @g7 42.:gf7t @g8 43.:ga7 lDd4 {43 . . . lDc5 44.i.xh7t @h8 45 .e7 a2 46.i.c2 and White draws} 44.:gxa3 c2 4 5 . :gc3 :ge l 46.e7 @f7 47.i.xc2 :ge2t 48.@fl :gxc2 49.:gh3 and White holds. 40 . . . :gxe6 4 1 .axb4 :gd6 42.i.c4 :gd2t 43 .@h3 lDd4 {43 . . . c2 44.i.xb3 :gd3t 4 5 .@g2 :gxb3 46.:gc 1 and White is safe} 44.b5 c2 45.b6 :gd l 46.b7 :gb l {46 . . . lDc6 47.:gf8t @g7 48 .:gf7t @g6 49.:gc7 and I think it is a draw} 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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47.:gg l !! h5 48 .:gg8t @h7 49.:gc8 @h6 50.i.d5 Black cannot win. Finally there is 40 ... lDc5 , when White seems to have two routes to half a point: a} 4 1 .:gf8t @g7 42.:gf7t @h6 43 .i.f5 ! 43.:gxh7t? @g5 44.:gg7t @f4 45 .:gf7t @e3 46.:gf5 :gxf5 47.i.xf5 lDxe6!! 48.axb4 lDf4t 49.@g3 lDd3 wins for Black. 43 . . . lDxe6 43 . . . b3 44.e7 @g5 {after 44 . . . c2?? 45 .h4! White sets up a mating net out of the blue} 45 .i.xh7 c2 46.:gf5 t :gxf5 47.e8=� c 1 =� 48.�g6t @h4 49 .�g3t @h5 50.�g6t It is a perpetual.

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Karoly Honfi 44.i.xe6 bxa3 45 .i.b3 :gb5 46.i.e6 :gb6

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47.i.f5 Alternatively 47.i.d5 :gd6 48 .i.b3 c2 {48 . . . :gd2t 49.@g3 c2} 49.i.xc2 :gd2t 50.@g3 :gxc2 5 1 .:ga7 a2 and I think White holds. 47 . . . a2 48.:ga7 c2 49.i.xc2 :gb2 50.:gxh7t @g5 5 1 .:ga7 @f4 52.h4 :gxc2t 53.@h3 At the end of my analysis White survives, although it is quite possible that somewhere along the way Black had a finesse. b} 4 1 .:gf5 This should also suffice for a draw, as far as I can see. 4 1 . . .:gxf5 42.i.xf5 lDxe6 43.axb4 lDd4 44.i.e4 c2 44 . . . @g7 45 .@f2 c2 46.i.xc2 lDxc2 47.b5 and White survives. 45 .i.xc2 lDxc2 46.b5 lDe3t 47.@f3

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luck, but in fact the ending is a theoretical draw. Interestingly, if White's h-pawn stood on any square ahead of the second rank, he would no longer be able to save the game.

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40 ... �d4 4 1 .EUl The rook arrives on the f-file one tempo too late. 4 1 . b3 Black's mighty pawns easily decide the game. It is a fitting conclusion to the strategy which began all the way back on move 1 9, when the knight came to a3 to support the queens ide advance. 42.gfSt g7 43.gf7t g8 44.hh7t h8 0-1 .•

After obtaining his second silver medal in the Hungarian Championship, Honfi was awarded the title of Hungarian Grandmaster. As I mentioned before, he never officially became an International Grandmaster until after his death. Towards the end of the 1 960s Honfi reached his peak as a player. The following game was perhaps his finest win from that era. Incidentally, this game was featured in the very first Chess Informant, which was published later in the same year. His opponent was the world class Yugoslav Grandmaster Ivkov.

Karoly Honfi - Borislav Ivkov Sarajevo 1 966

l .e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�c3 .ib4 4.e5 c5 5 ..id2 This was Honfi's pet line against the Winawer variation of the French. It is still seen regularly today, although it is not considered to be the most theoretically challenging line at White's disposal. 5 ... �e7 6.a3 hc3 7.hc3 b6 7 . . . 'Dbc6 B.'Df3 cxd4 9.'Dxd4 'Dxe5 1 O.'Dxe6 i.xe6 1 1 .i.xe5 is a well known equalizing line. Despite the isolated pawn Black has little to fear, as his pieces have great freedom. 8:�g4 �5 According to the database, he had already won nice games against both of the sensible alternatives. I will just give the moves. a) B . . . 'Dg6 9.'Df3 'Dc6 1 0.h4 h5 I l .Wfg3 i.d7 1 2.i.d3 'Dce7 1 3.dxc5 bxc5 1 4.0-0 Wfc7 1 5 .b4 c4 1 6.i.xg6 'Dxg6 1 7.a4 a6 I B .i.d4 �fB 1 9.:gfe l WfdB 20.i.e3 WfeB 2 1 .a5 :gcB 22.:ga3 �gB 23 .i.c5 'De7 24.i.xe7 Wfxe7 25 .c3 :gh6 26.Wff4 :gg6 27.Wfe3 :gg4

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2B .Wfa7! f6 29.Wfxa6 Wff7 30.Wfb7 :gfB 3 1 .:ga2 WfeB 32.g3 i.c6 33.Wfc7 d4 34.'Dxd4 i.d5 3 5 .exf6 :gxf6 36.a6 Wfg6 37.a7 :gfB 3B .aB=Wf i.xaB 39.'Dxe6 :geB 40.:gxaB :gxaB 4 1 .b5 WfeB 42.b6 :gcB 43 .Wfe5 Wfc6 44.'Dg5 :gxg5 45 .Wfxg5 Wfxb6 46.Wfd5t �fB 47.Wff5 t 1 -0 Honfi - Ozsvath, Hungary 1 96 5 .

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Chapter 5 - Karoly Honfi b) 8 . . . 0-0 9.b4 tLld7 1 O.tLlf3 f5 1 1 .'t!9h3 tLlg6 1 2 . .id2 't!ge7 1 3.c3 a5 1 4.b5 a4 1 5 . .id3 c4 1 6 . .ic2 tLlb8 1 7.'t!9h5 .id7 1 8 .tLlg5 h6 1 9.'t!9xg6 hxg5 20 . .ixg5 't!9fl 2 1 .'t!9xflt @xfl 22.�b l �a5 23.0-0 .ixb5 24.�b2 tLla6 25 .�fb l tLlc7 26.h4 �b8

1 1 . tLlc6 12.tLla Wfc7 1 3.0-0 f8 Black threatens to take the e5-pawn. The immediate 1 3 . . . ttJxe5 ?? loses material after 1 4.ttJxe5 't!9xe5 1 5 .�ae 1 . 14JUei g8 Or 1 4 . . . ttJ a5 1 5 . .ixf5 exf5 1 6.ttJxd4 and White is much better. 1 5.h4! White gains space and restricts Black's movement. 1 5 tLlce7 1 5 . . . h4! ? This stops the plan used by White in the game, but costs time and weakens the kingside. Interestingly, White exploits it by opening up the queens ide with 1 6.�ac 1 ! intending c2-c3. •.

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27.g4 fxg4 28.@g2 g6 29.@g3 .ie8 30.@xg4 tLlb5 3 1 .�al �aa8 32 . .id2 @g7 33.�bb l �b7 34.@f3 @f8 3 5 .�gl �h7 36.�g4 @g7 37.@e2 ttJa7 38 .�ag l ttJb5 39 . .ixg6 .ixg6 40.�xg6t @fl 4 1 .�f6t @e7 42J�gg6 1-0 Honfi - F. Portisch, Budapest 1 96 5 . 9 ..id3 White develops quickly. 9 ... h5 This wins a pawn, but weakens the kingside a bit. lo.Wfh3 cxd4 1 0 . . . tLlxd4!? was worth considering. White would still have the d4-square and the better light-squared bishop, and would also of course not have had to spend a tempo retreating the bishop from c3 . Still, it may have been worth it for Black, because in the game the dark squared bishop has tremendous potential. 1 l ..id2 Black has won a pawn, but the doubled d-pawns are not doing much and his typical bad French bishop will remain passive for some time (at the moment it cannot come to a6 because of .ixf5). In the game Honfi builds up White's position skilfully.

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1 6.g3! White prepares to regroup by centralizing the queen. 1 6 .id7 17.a4 ge8 1 8.Wff1 ! f6 1 9.h5 Continuing to squeeze the black position. 1 9 f7 20.ge2! tLlh6 2 1 .Wfel 2 1 .h3!? was also good. 2 1 . tLlefS Perhaps Black should have taken the opportunity to play 2 1 . . .h4, although the pawn sacrifice 22.c3!? looks quite promising. 22.h3 Honfi improves his position step by step. Now . . . h4 can always be met by g4. ..•

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3 1 .g4! White requires no more preparations, and begins the decisive assault. 3 1 . .. gg8 32.hl ! d4 33.gg1 �b7t 34.h2 gg7 35.gxh5 g5

22 ... �c5 Black has no active plan. 23.i.b4 �c7 24. �c1 gc8 8 7

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25.�b2 White's queen has completed a very effective transfer to the queenside. 25 ... ghe8 26.gael g8 27.llhd4 �xd4 28.�xd4 Finally White has regained the pawn and strategically outplayed his opponent. Still, to complete the victory against a player of Ivkov's calibre is no easy task. 28 ... f5 29.�h4! The queen swings back to the kingside. 29 ... g6 30.i.d2 h7 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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36.gxg5 It is all over now. 36 ... gcg8 37.f4 �f7 38.geg2 �xg5 39.fxg5 �f3 40.g6t h8 41 .�g5 1-0 This was an extremely impressive strategic game, capped off by a well executed attack. The white queen played a remarkable role in this game, so it is quite fitting that this piece made the final move to force Black's resignation. I remember Karcsi Bacsi telling me that he worked hard on his endgames, but it was in vain because the positions he studied never seemed to occur over the board. He told me he was generally not happy with his endgame play. Mter he died I went through his games and came to the conclusion that he was much too harsh on himself. He may not have been an endgame maestro like Karpov, but he was definitely not shabby either. Before writing this chapter I mentioned this subject to Haag, who told me Honfi had told the same thing to him as well, saying that he generally tried to avoid endgames. Haag tried to reassure him

Chapter 5

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that his endings were really not so bad, but to no avail. I feel that the next game vindicates the opinion held by both Haag and myself Honfi outplays one of the world's most brilliant endgame players from a worse position. This is something which almost never happened to Ulf Andersson, even when he played Karpov or Kasparov.

Karoly Honfi - Ulf Andersson Hoogovens (B) , Wij k aan Zee 1 970

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The obvious continuation was 34 .. Jha2t 3 5 .gxa2 �xa2 36.c;t>e3 c;t>e7 37.@d4 @d6. Andersson must have rejected this on the basis that it would be hard to create a passed pawn on the queenside. Indeed, if White simply marks time and keeps his bishop on the fl -c4 diagonal, it is hard to suggest a way for Black to make progress. Andersson was clearly hoping to obtain an improved version of the same ending, but he must have overlooked Honfi's next move. Instead 34 . . . @e7! was the right way, centralizing the king and preventing the enemy rook from becoming active. For instance, after 3 5 .gd l gxa2t 36.@g3 �b3 37.gd3 �c2 38.gc3 @d6 Black is very likely to win.

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Black's kingside structure has been compromised slightly, but his pieces are tremendously active. It is definitely not the kind of position that one would generally wish to defend against Andersson. 32.c;t>gl White steps out of the pin (Black was threatening to take on h3) , and starts improving his king. 32 .. J�a3 33JU2 g& 34. c;t>& It is still hard to anticipate that White's king would become the decisive piece of this game . . . 34 ... a5? This is a natural move; however it is a serious mistake as it squanders a win.

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Karoly Honfi

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35.gdl !! White allows his opponent to take a pawn with a check, in order to activate the rook. 35 ... gxa2t 36. c;t>e3 ga3t?! The Swedish player still plays for a win, rather than settle for 36 . . . �xg2 37.�xg2 gxg2 38.gd7 when White draws easily, even if he loses the h-pawn. 37.c;t>d4! .ib3 38.gc1 ! Rooks belong on open files. 38 ... ga4t 39.c;t>c5 White's king is becoming dangerous. 39 ... ge4 40.c;t>b6 .id5

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Alternatively after 40 . . . a4 4 1 .@xb7 �d5 t 42.@c7 a3 43.b6 a2 44.@d6 White i s not worse.

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4 1 .<j;lxa5 It is a relief to get rid of this passed pawn. 4 1 . .. <j;le7? This is not a useful centralization. 4 1 . . .h5 would have been a more constructive improvement of the position. 42. <j;l b6 The white king is easily the best-performing piece on the board. 42 .. J:�e3 After 42 . . . h5 43.g4 hxg4 44.�g2 Black is in trouble. Not much better was 42 . . . @d6 43J�d l �a4 44.g4 @e5 45 .�d2, when White has decent winning chances as he will exchange the bishops from g2. 43J�dl .ie4 44J:�d2! h5 45.h4!? Honfi fixes Black's h-pawn. Maybe 45 .�c4!? was even more to the point, as after the exchange of the bishops on d5, the b7-pawn will fall. 45 <j;lm Andersson has no choice but to retreat the king - I told you it was not helpful to put it on e7! The point is that 45 . . . �xf5 allows 46.�e2! (even clearer than 46.@xb7) 46 . . . �xe2 47.�xe2 �e4 48.g3 f5 49.�xh5 @e6 50.@c5 and White wins. .•.

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46J�e2! In bishop endings the weaker side seldom succeeds in defending a bad position. 46 .. J:�xe2 47.he2 .hg2 48 ..ixh5 <j;le7 48 . . . �e4 49 .�g4 @g7 50.@c7 @h6 5 1 .b6 �d5 (5 1 . . . @g7 52.�e2) 52.�e2 �e4 53 .�b5 wins for White. 49. <j;lc7! .ie4 50 ..ig4 .id5 5 1 .b6 .ic6 52 ..ie2 <j;lm 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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53 ..ia6! 1-0 This simple but nonetheless cute move forces Black to throw in the towel. Despite this reversal Andersson, to his credit, eventually won the tournament, with Honfi finishing third.

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Chapter 5 - Karoly Honfi During the 1 970s, when Honfi was in his forties, he started to obtain more opportunities to play in tournaments. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, he never managed to obtain the coveted Grandmaster title. He actually made several norms, but at that time a player had to get all three norms within a three-year window. If the rules were as they are today, he would easily have got the title. Let's see some more victories against other very special players.

The knight is forced into this awkward retreat. Moving to d8 would be even worse, as the knight would have a harder time relocating to a purposeful square. 1 6.c3 .ib5 The future world championship candidate makes room for the knight. He hopes that the impending queenside counterplay will offset the long-term weakness of the e7 -pawn. 17.gfe1 tLld7 1 8.tLld4 tLlb6 It looks like Black's play on the queens ide has come in time.

Karoly HonG - Alexander Beliavsky

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Sukhumi 1 972

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l .e4 c5 2.tLlf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 tLlf6 5.tLlc3 a6 6.f4 g6 7 .ie2 .ig7 8 ..ie3 tLlc6 9.tLlb3 0-0 1 0.0-0 .id7 1 1 .h1 gc8 1 2 ..if3 ffc7 13.ffd2 gfe8 •

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14.tLld5! This is a typical move in such positions, and in this particular case it comes at an especially awkward moment for Black. 14 ... tLlxd5 Black is not forced to make this exchange, although after 1 4 . . . ffb8 1 5 .c3 White has a pleasant position with more space. 15.exd5 tLlb8

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1 9.b3! A well-calculated sacrifice, albeit just a temporary one. If Black does not accept then he would lose several tempos and his position would just be miserable in general. 1 9 ...ffxc3 20.ffxc3 gxc3 2 1 .tLlxb5 The fireworks begin. 2 1 . gxe3! 22.gxe3 hal 23.tLlxd6 Though I cannot be sure, I suspect that Honfi calculated at least to this point when he played 1 4.ttJdS. 23 gd8 24.tLlxb7 gc8 25.g3 gel t 26.g2 gc2t 27.h3 .if6 The position has settled down after the previous fireworks. White has won a pawn, but Black's rook is active and the opposite coloured bishops offer him some chances to save the game. .•

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28.a4 Honfi chooses a safe and solid approach. He could also have increased his advantage with 28 .�d3 ttJc8 29.d6 exd6 30.ttJxd6 ttJe7, or 28.d6 exd6 29 .�e8t @g7 30.�e2! �c3 3 1 .ttJxd6, and in both cases Black has nothing for the pawn. 28 �d2 29.tLlc5 a5 30J�d3! White exchanges the opponent's active rook. The opposite bishop ending is not a problem, due to the presence of the knights. 30 J�xd3 3 1 .tLlxd3 .id4 32.g2! Before undertaking anything active, White should first improve his king. 32 f8 33. f1 e8 34. e2 f6 35.tLlc1 d7 36.d3 .ib2 37.tLle2 d6 Beliavsky is a top Grandmaster, and is capable of stubborn resistance in difficult situations. Here it looks like he has achieved real drawing chances. •••

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39. c4!!? This is a very attractive, almost study-like idea, however it allows an escape. I suspect that Karcsi Bacsi was short of time. Instead the simpler 39.bxa5 was winning, e.g. 39 . . . ttJc5t (after 39 ... @c5 40.@c2 @b5 4 1 .a6! @xa6 42.d6! exd6 43 .i.c6 White wins a piece) 40.@c4 ttJa6 (40 . . . f5 4 1 .ttJc3 wins)

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38.b4!! This is a wonderful breakthrough. 38 tLlxa4 The other capture is no better: 38 . . . axb4 39.a5 ttJxd5 40.a6 ttJc7 4 1 .a7 @c5 42.@c2!? i.c3 (42 ... i.a3 43.@b3 wins for White) 43.@b3 (43.a8=W!' ttJxa8 44.i.xa8 @c4 is less convincing) 43 . . . i.d2 44.a8=W!' ttJxa8 45 .i.xa8 and White wins with the extra piece. •••

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4 1 .@b3! White traps the bishop in a very unusual way. 4 1 . . .i.a l 42.@a2 and Black can resign. 39 axb4 40.b3 c5? According to my analysis Black could have drawn with: 40 . . . ttJc3! Black will only obtain two pawns for a piece, but his king is more active and White has the wrong combination of bishop and rook's pawn. •••

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Chapter 5 - Karoly Honfi 4 1 .@xb2 lLlxe2 42 . .ixe2 @xd5 43.@b3 43 .@c2 @e4 44.@d2 b3 45 . .id l (45 . .ic4 b2) 45 . . . b2 46.@c2 @e3 47.@xb2 @f2 48.g4 f5! and Black exchanges enough pawns. 43 . . . @e4 44.@xb4 @e3 45 . .ic4 45 . .id l @f2 46.@c4 @g2 47.g4 @xh2 48.@d5 @g3 49.f5 (49.@e4 e6) 49 . . . @f4 50.@e6 @g5 is drawing. 45 . . . @f2 46 . .ig8 Or 46.g4 @f3. 46 ... @g2 47.g4 @xh2 White's last pawns will soon leave the board. 41.xa4 c4 42.�e4 b3 43.£5 g5 44.g4 It was also possible to play 44.d6 exd6 45 . .ib7 .ie5 46 . .ia6t @d5 47.@xb3 @e4 48.@c2 @f3 49.lLlc3 @g2 50.g4 .ixh2 and I think White should win. 44 �e5 45.h3 �d6 46.ttlcl It is probable that the game had been adjourned at some point over the past few moves (remember, adjournments were commonplace in the 1 970s) . Thus the players would have had plenty of time to analyse the endgame at home.

convinced him that the text would be a better practical try. Or perhaps he simply guessed that Honfi would devote most of his analysis to 46 . . . b2, and thought that a less obvious move might unsettle his opponent. Whatever the reasoning, the plan does not quite succeed. 47.�b l xd5 4S.xb3 d4 49.ttle2t e3 50.ttlc3 a 5 1 .�c2 g2 52.ttle4 xh3 53.�dl White has managed to consolidate the kingside. 53 �f4 54. c4 h5! Black is doing a good job of exchanging the pawns, but ultimately White will only need one to decide the game. 55.gxh5 g4 56.ttlflt h4 57.ttlxg4 xh5 •••

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46 d4 The obvious move is 46 . . . b2!? although White should be winning after 47.lLlb3 or 47.lLle2!? Beliavsky's home analysis probably •••

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5S.d5 The rest is simple. 5S g5 59. e6 �cl 60.ttlfl �b2 6 1 .ttlh3t h4 62. ttlf4 g5 63. ttld5 h6 64. xe7 g7 65.e6 �e5 66.�a4 �b2 67.ttlc7 f8 6S.ttleS 1-0 Some players would have continued a little longer, in the hope of giving up the bishop for the f-pawn and testing the opponent's technique with knight and bishop against the lone king, but it seems that Beliavsky did not consider this worthwhile. •••

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In the very same tournament Honfi beat another exceptional player in Robert HUbner, Germany's foremost Grandmaster for many years. He, unlike Beliavsky at that time, was already a world championship candidate.

Robert Hiibner - Karoly HonG Sukhumi 1 972

l .e4 e5 2.f4 This was the first and last time that HUbner tried the King's Gambit. 2 ... exf4 3.fila d6 HUbner has played the same line when meeting the King's Gambit from the other side of the board. 4 .tc4 h6 5.0-0 g5 6.g3?! It is unusual to try to break like this before d4 is played. •

7 ... filf6! Black does not take the pawn but concentrates on developing the kingside pieces. 8.gxf4 gxf4 9.filc3 �g8t 1 O.c:j;>h 1 filg4! 1 1 .�e2 fileS! Honfi liked to solve his problems with active piece play. 1 2.filgl This loses a piece, but already there was no good defence, e.g. 1 2.lLlxe5 dxe5 with a huge advantage for Black. 12 ... �xgl t 1 3.'%Vxgl a 14 ..tb5t This is relatively best - with the emphasis on "relatively"! 14 ... c6 1 5.�fl .tg2t 1 6.�xg2 fxg2t 17.'%Vxg2 cxb5 Thus Black emerges with an extra piece in return for nebulous compensation. 1 8.d4 filgG 19 ..te3 fild7 20JUl 8

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6 .th3! 7J�fl? HUbner was a great player, but on this occasion he seems to be showing his lack of familiarity with his chosen opening. The thematic continuation was 7.gxf4!, sacrificing the exchange in the hope of seizing the initiative. I would like to have talked to Karcsi Bacsi about this matter, to find out whether he planned to capture the exchange, recapture on f4 or push the g-pawn. .•.

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20 ... filb6 Black sensibly gives back one pawn in order to prevent White's knight from reaching the d5-square. 2 1 .filxb5 White has no real attacking chances, so he settles for regaining a pawn. 2 1 . .. '%Vd7 22.'%Ve2 a6 23.filc3 0-0-0 24.a4 c:j;>b8 25.a5 fila8 26.'%Va filh8 The last two knight moves are unusual, but both of them have their own purpose.

Chapter 5

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27.%Vf6 !i.e7 28.%Vxh6 tLlc7 29.%Vh7 %Vg4 30.h3

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30 %Vg6 It is a practical decision to swap queens. White is left with no drawing chances. 3 1 .%Vxg6 fxg6 32.!i.h6 gg8 33.g2 c8 34. g3 d7 3S.!i.e3 gf8 36.gal tLlf7 37.g4 gh8 38.gfI e8 39.g3 ghS 40.gal tLlgS 0-1 There was no point in adjourning this posmon. Interestingly, in a subsequent game between the same players, the German grandmaster once again failed to survive the opening with the white pieces. But that was simply due to a freakish blunder in an equal position. •••

I know that Honfi and Hubner were on good personal terms. Karcsi Bacsi spoke some German although I cannot comment on his level. I first got acquainted with Karcsi Bacsi early in 1 976, when I started to play for the team 'Spartacus' . Soon after I joined this prestigious club, there was a training camp with many very strong players; he was one of them. It was a great experience to analyse with them. I received a superb piece of advice from him at

Karoly Honfi

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this time, as well as many more in the future. I will pass on this advice now - "Take some time to consider what you want to get from the game of chess, and treat it accordingly." Unfortunately many parents who have a talented child do not know this. They make their children suffer many failures because of this. In addition to his accomplishments as a player, Honfi possessed the desire to teach and was an excellent trainer. He had a subtle way of giving advice. Instead of simply telling a person what to do, his approach was to help them understand what the right way was, empowering them to make the decision for themselves. I should have followed more of his advice, but only realized this much later. Of course it was an important feature of our relationship that he was 3 1 years older than me. It became natural and almost automatic that when we made a journey or had a club dinner we would sit next to each other. One of the many ways of classifying chess players involves the question of whether they tend to work harder during pre-game preparation or during the game itself. Almost all fit into one category or the other. Among Hungary's top players, perhaps only Lajos Portisch was equally good in both departments. Honfi was similar, but sometimes he took more risks than professionalism required. He was always looking for a fight. He was usually happy when he drew against a stronger player than himself, but only if the draw came after a long hard battle - he was not interested in the so-called "grandmaster draw". Here is a game from 1 976, in which Honfi defeated a very strong Soviet grandmaster and famous chess author.

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Karoly Honfi - Alexey Suetin Budapest 1 976

l .e4 c5 2.tLla e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 a6 5 . .id3 g6 6.0-0 .ig7 7 . .ie3 tLle7 8.c4 0-0 9.tLlc3 d6 This is a normal-looking move, but Honfi did not rate Black's set-up very highly. Instead he mentioned 9 . . . ltJbc6 and 9 . . . d5 as superior alternatives. 1 0.�d2 tLld7 l 1 .gacl b6 1 2.gfdl .ib7 13 ..ifl tLlc8 Perhaps Black should have moved his rook immediately to avoid the following bishop exchange. 14 . .ih6 ge8 1 5 ..ixg7 �xg7 Black's position is rather passive - just look at the knight on cB. At the same time, it is not by accident that the Hedgehog has earned a reputation as an extremely robust set-up. White needs to formulate a strategy if he is to make the most of his advantages before Black gradually regroups his forces.

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1 9.a5! White isolates the a6-pawn and gets the a5square for his knight. 1 9 ... gc7?! 1 9 .. .:!:!b7 would at least have forced White to keep an eye on his b-pawn. 20.�e3 Maybe 20.axb6! ? was even stronger: 20 . . . ltJdxb6 2 1 .c5 dxc5 22.ltJxc5 Black is in trouble. 20 ... bxa5 2 1 .tLlxa5 �e7 22.tLla4! �g8 After 22 . . . d5 ? 23.c5! White is happy to trade the e4-pawn for the one on a6. Black will be crushed on the queenside.

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23.c5! White requires no more preparation.

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23 ... dxcS 24.bxcS �c6 2S.ttlb6 Honfi increases his advantage with rather simple moves. 2S ... ttlb8 26.ttlac4 gd8 27.eS! ttlxb6 28.cxb6 gcd7 8 7

36.gc7! ttld7 Or 36 . . . %!dd7 37.'lWf4 threatening a deadly incursion on f8 . 37.b7 gb8 38.ttlc8! gO 38 . . . %!e8 39.%!xd7t wins for White. 39.gxf7t @xf7 40.ttlb6 gd8 4 1 .ttlxd7 1-0 This was a very skilfully conducted and instructive positional game against the Hedgehog. The a4-a5 plan is well worth remembering.

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Here is another Hedgehog game from the same year.

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Karoly Honfi UIE Andersson

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29. ttl d6 What a knight, and what a position. The game is already practically over as a contest. 29 ... f6 30.f4 fxeS 3 1 .fxeS �dS 32.�c4! White exchanges Black's only active piece. 32 ... @g7 32 . . . �xc4 33 .%:hc4 %!f8 34.%!dc 1 +33.hdS exdS 34.Y;Yd4 34.%:hd5 was also winning, e.g. 34 . . . %!xd6? 3 5 .'1Wa3!' 34 ...Y;Ye6 3S.gfl ge7 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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Cienfuegos 1 976

l .e4 cS 2.ttla d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ttlxd4 e6 S.c4 ttlc6 6.ttlc3 �e7 The Swedish grandmaster is an expert in Hedgehog positions. His only win against Karpov came in such a position, when he freed his game with a thematic . . . d5 pawn sacrifice. 7.g3!? This is not the usual set-up. 7 ... �d7 8.�g2 a6 9.0-0 ttlf6 10.ttlde2 0-0 l 1 .b3 Y;Yb8 1 2.�f4!? gd8 Black must avoid 1 2 . . . b5? 1 3 .c5 . 1 3.gc1 ttlhS 14.�e3 bS! As a rule of thumb, if Black can achieve this freeing break in a Hedgehog position then he can count on a comfortable game. I S.cxbS axbS 1 6.f4 ttlf6 Black has equalized. 17.@hl �e8 1 8.f5 b4 19.ttla4 dS!? This aggressive continuation was by no means forced, but it seems Andersson could not resist opening the centre to exploit the opposition of his rook with the enemy queen.

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25.tLlbxd5! Now Black's position falls apart. 25 ... exd5 26.�xd5t �xd5 27.tLlxd5 tLlflt 28.@gl ig5 29J�cel if7 30.�xfl At the end of the tactical confrontation, White keeps an extra exchange. 30 ... �a3 3 1 .h4 if6 3 1 . . . ih6? leads to a cute checkmate: 32.:ge8t! ixe8 33.ctJe7t @h8 34.:gf8#

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20.ib6! Without this White would have problems. 20 ... t2he4!? The Swede sacrifices an exchange. Also possible was 20 .. .Ek8, e.g. 2 1 .exd5 exd5 22.igl (Black was threatening to take on a4) 22 . . . id8 23.tLlf4 tLle7 and Black has a playable game. 21 .ixd8 tLlxd8 22.fxe6 fxe6 Black has one pawn for the exchange, with active pieces and two connected central passed pawns. He may not be better, but he definitely has full compensation. 23.tLlf4 �e5 24.�b6! �a2? This is too optimistic. I can only speculate that Andersson overlooked White's next move. Correct was 24 . . . :ga5 25 .:gc8 :gb5 26.tLlc4 dxc4 27.:gxd8 ixd8 28.Wxd8 :gb8 29.We7 (29.tLlxe6 tLlf6) 29 . . . if7. The position is equal. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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White clearly has a winning position. The remaining moves are not so important, but here they are anyway: 32.tLlxf6t gxf6 33.�dl tLle6 34.id5 @g7 35.ic4 tLlc5 36.�£5 ixc4 37.�xc5 ixb3 38.�d4 if7 39.�c7 b3 40.�b4 �al t 41 .@fl �a2t 42.@e3 b2 43.�bb7 @g8 44.�b8t @g7 45.h5 h6 46.g4 £5 47.g5 hxg5 48.h6t @f6 49.�b6t ie6 50.h7 �a3t 5 1 .@d4 �a8 52.�xb2 g4 53.�h2 �d8t 54. @e3 �h8 55.�h6t @e5 56.�e7 1-0 Andersson is a brilliant endgame technician and he managed to put up stiff resistance, but Honfi eventually converted his advantage. Honfi was an honourable man, and it is rather ironic that his honesty may have contributed to his failure to become a grandmaster. Other players have told me of a tournament where he needed to win his last game to secure the

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Chapter 5 Karoly Honfi -

title. His Yugoslav opponent offered to make an 'arrangement' but Honfi refused. In the game he was close to winning, but he spoiled the position in time trouble. On another occasion his club called him back for an important team championship game in the middle of a tournament where he was doing very well. The trip back to Hungary lasted three days. Honfi's presence was good for the team, and they went on to win the championship. Unfortunately it cost him a lot of energy and once again he missed the grandmaster norm. Life can be cruel: the request from the club was made by his closest lifelong friend Ervin Haag. Ervin told me recently: "I could not have known the consequences" . In the 1 976 Budapest tournament {where I was a demonstration board boy} he started well, but on his way to a later game he had a car accident. Despite the obvious stress caused by such an event, he was too proud to request that the game be postponed. He went on to lose, and hardly scored any points in the tournament afterwards. According to Haag, if when he had chances for the norm he had inserted a few quick draws to save energy, he would almost certainly have made it. But instead he wanted to fight in every single game. Apart from these reasons, I have one more theory about why he never became a grandmaster. Most high-ranking players are concerned with maximizing their results. But Honfi enjoyed playing chess so much, for him it was all about playing an interesting game. It happened several times that I told him this move or variation has to be played against particular openings. His answer was always the same: "Tibi, I believe you when you say this is the best line, but even if you prove that this holds the draw against all the moves, I would not play it."

In other words, he preferred to play what he knew to be an inferior move, just to reach an interesting position, rather than a stronger move leading to relatively dry equality. I do not know what he would do now in his favourite Griinfeld, since so many long theoretical lines have been analysed all the way to the endgame. Somehow I doubt he would ever have played those. The other problem was that he always wanted to maximize his chances with the white pieces. True, he won a lot of games, but he also suffered some defeats. Compared with most top players, he allowed too many targets. But he wanted to win his games . . .

Karcsi Bacsi was an occasional composer of endgame studies. I only found two, which he created in 1 975 and 1 976. They are nice. Magyar Sakkelet, 1 975

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White to play and win l og7 ,bb3 There is an important alternative in: l . . J!h4t!? Black tries to divert the king.

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Genius in the Background White must carefully run away from the check. 3.@c4? In this case not all roads lead to Rome: 3 . . . .B:c3t! 4.@xc3 a l ='lWt 5 . @b3 'lWd4 6.g8='IW 'lWe3t 7.@b4 and now Black must avoid 7 . . . 'lWb6t? 8.@c4, but instead play 7 . . . 'lWe l t! when White cannot escape from the checks. Computer programs confirm that Karcsi Bacsi worked it out correctly. 3 gh4t 3 . . . a l ='IW 4 . .B:gl t @c2 5 . .B:xa l .B:g3 6 . .B:a7 wins as Black's king cannot play to the third rank. 4.cj;>c5 gh5t 5.cj;>d6 gh6t 6.cj;>d5 gh5t 7.cj;>e6 ge5t 7 . . . .B:h6t 8 .@f5 .B:f6t 9.@g5 escapes from the checks. The text is a nice, but ultimately ineffective try. 8.cj;>f7 gfSt 9.cj;>g6 gf6t •••

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2.ig4! White cannot keep defending the knight with 2.@a3?? because of 2 . . . a l ='lWt! 3.llJxa l .B:a4#. 2 . . . ixg4 3 .@a3 a l ='lWt 4.llJxa l Black can now prevent the promotion i n two different ways, but i n both cases h e gets checkmated. 4 . . . ie6 4 . . . .B:h3t loses to 5 .llJb3, e.g. 5 . . . ie6 6 . .B:b2#. This checkmating pattern often occurs m tournament games. 5 . .B:g l #! But this configuration is a rarity indeed! 2.cj;>xb3 gxh3t When a player has a pawn on the seventh rank in such a position, he or she rarely loses.

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l O.cj;>g5! Finally, after a long king journey, White has achieved a position where Black has no sensible rook check. l o ... gfl This enables Black to promote his pawn, but allows the king to be checkmated. 1 1 .g8=� al =� 1 2.�g6t cj;>cl 13.�c2# Finally the study ends in a checkmate. His next study won third prize in the Hungarian Chess magazine competition. Had he devoted

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more of his time to composing, maybe he would have become a noted composer. But competing over the board was his first love. 3rd Prize, Magyar Sakkelet, 1 976

is pinned. Now all of White's sensible moves result in an instant stalemate. 3 ... g1 =� 4.hgl b l =� This time after 4 . . . b l =� 5 .�d4t �b2 the knight is not pinned, so 6.lDc4 wins. 5 ..id4t �b2

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White to play and win l .fild2 White has a difficult task fighting against the numerous black pawns that are close to promotion. 1 . .. b2 1 . . .g2 2.lDxb3t @b l 3 .@xg2 a l =� 4.lDxa l @xa l 5 .@g3 and Black is many tempos short of being able to reach the g8-square. 2 ..ic5! g2! This is the most challenging defence. White's main idea is revealed after 2 . . . b l =� 3 .�d4t �b2 4.�g7!. 3 ..id4! 3.@xg2? The king cannot step onto the second rank. Black has two options: a) 3 . . . b l =�? 4.�d4t �b2 5 .�g7! �xg7t 6.hxg7 @b2 7.g8=� a l =� Usually such a material balance would lead to a draw, but here Black's pieces are very unfortunately placed. 8.�g7t @a2 9.�f7t @b2 1 0.�f6t @a2 1 1 .�e6t @b2 1 2 .�e5 t @a2 1 3.�d5 t @b2 14.�d4t @a2 1 5 .�a4t @b2 1 6.lDc4t wins. b) 3 . . . b l =EW Black has to promote to a rook. 4.�d4t �b2 Black holds because the knight

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6 ..ig7! Black is forced to let White have a passed pawn. The game Alterman - Karpov, Tyniste 1 99 5 , is a nice, although admittedly less spectacular, example in which the stronger side forced the opponent to exchange a piece, after which taking back with the pawn improved his position and resulted in a win. 6 ... �xg7 7.hxg7 �b2 8.1�Jb3! This is the nicest win, although 8.g8=� is also good enough. 8 ... xb3 9.g8=�t b2 White wins because Black's h-pawn rules out the usual stalemate-based defence. Both Karcsi Bacsi and I left Spartacus during the 1 970s, but we continued to see each other from time to time at tournaments, although we still had never faced each other over the board at that time. Over the next few years we only once attended a training camp together. He was training the Hungarian women's team, while I was with the junior squad. Of course we shared many long walks and conversations.

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He wanted to obtain the GM title so much, but at some point he must have understood he would never make it. I think it must have been around the time when I first faced him over the board, at a master tournament in 1 977. I was 1 6 at the time, and he beat me. As in almost all his games, a complex position occurred. I eventually lost on time - something that has only happened twice in my life. I must admit that my position was lost anyway. In the next game he beat my club-mate Laszlo Cserna. Mter this tournament Laszlo and I frequently worked together. He tragically died of cancer in his mid-thirties. During his short life Laszlo remarkably beat Smyslov and drew with Petrosian. It is so sad that he left us, and especially tragic for his daughter Jutka. In this encounter Honfi and Cserna produced a remarkably exciting game.

Karoly Honfi - Laszlo Cserna Budapest 1 977

l .e4 c5 2.�£3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.�xd4 �f6 5.�c3 a6 6.£4 V!lc7 7 ..id3 g6 8.0-0 �bd7 9.�£3 .ig7 1 0.V!lel e5 1 1 .a4 b6 I recall that Laszlo and I worked out this line based on a game of Walter Browne. 1 2.V!lh4 .ib7 1 3.fxe5 dxe5 14 ..ih6 0-0 1 5.�g5 V!ld6!? 1 5 . . . tDh5?? 1 6.ixg7 @xg7 1 7Jhf7t wins for White. 1 6.g4 �Uc8!? Laszlo wants to ease the pressure against his king. After 1 6 .. JhcB I think Karcsi Bacsi would have continued his attack with 1 7.�f3. 17.hg7 The point of Black's last move was to meet 1 7.�f3 with 1 7 . . . ixh6 I B .Wxh6 WfB . 1 7... �xg7

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1 8.�xf7!? This leads to a very exciting game, but it seems to me it was not objectively best. I would prefer: I B .Wh6t!? @gB 1 9.�ad l We7 1 9 . . . WfB ? 20.WxfBt @xfB 2 1 .ie2 gives White too much play on the f- file: 2 1 . . . @e7 (2 1 . . .ic6 22.�xd7 tDxd7 23.�xf7t and Black is in trouble) 22.tDxh7 or 22.tDxf7 and White is better. 20.�f3 White has an attack. 1 8 ... �xf7 1 9.V!lxh7t!? 1 9 .95 @g7 is safe enough for Black. 1 9 ... �e6 1 9 . . . @eB 20.Wxg6t @dB 2 1 .g5 White has compensation for the piece; the position is roughly balanced.

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Chapter 5

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20J;�xf6t! Not 20.Wxg6? El:gS 2 1 .WfSt cJ;e7 22.h3 El:afS and Black takes over. 20 ... ttlxf6 2 1 .�xb7 �c5t 2 1 . . .Wc7?! 22.Wxc7 El:xc7 23.gS! l2Jh7 24.l2JdS White has a promising position. 22.@h l gcb8 23.�g7 gg8 24.�h6 Honfi keeps on pressing. The text commits White to further material sacrifices. 24.Wb7 El:gbS would lead to a repetition, as 24 . . . l2Jxg4 2S .ie2! would be too risky for Black. 24 ... gh8 White looks to be in trouble. How can he continue the attack? Remember that there are . . . El:xh2t sacrifices to worry about!

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26 ... gag8 27.�f5t @e7 28.g5 ttld7 Black could also have gone for the following hair-raising line: 2S . . . l2JhS!? White has no more than a draw. 29.WxeS t And not 29.l2JdSt? WxdS! . 2 9 . . . cJ;d7 Also possible is 29 . . . We6 30.l2JdSt (30.Wc7t Wd7 3 1 .WeSt We6=) 30 . . . cJ;d7 3 1 .Wc7t cJ;eS 32.WbSt cJ;f7 33.W c7t with a perpetual check. 30.El:d l t cJ;cS 3 1 .l2JdS

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25.�c4t!! This is a brilliant idea, although the game is still far from being decided. 25 ...�xc4 Also deserving of attention was 2S . . . cJ;d6! ? 26.El:d l t cJ;c6 27.ibSt! (27.Wxg6?? El:xh2t leads to a checkmate; 27.idSt?? l2JxdS 2S.exdS t WxdSt! is also no good for White) 27 . . . axbS 2S.axbS t cJ;b7 29.Wg7t Wc7 30.Wxf6 El:afS 3 1 .We6 El:f2 Black will force perpetual check. 26.�xg6 The point of White's idea was to divert the enemy queen so that the . . . El:xh2t sacrifice no longer works.

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3 1 . . .Wxe4t! 32.Wxe4 l2Jg3t 33.cJ;g2 l2Jxe4 34.l2Je7t cJ;c7 3 S .l2JxgS El:xgS The ending should be a draw. 29.ttld5t @e8 30.�xd7t 30.El:a3 We2 3 1 .We6t cJ;dS 32.We7t cJ;cS 33.El:c3t cJ;bS 34.Wd6t cJ;aS White has no win and must keep giving checks. 30 ... @xd7 3 1 .ttlxb6t @e6?! The king is not so well placed here. Better was 3 1 . . .cJ;c6 32.l2Jxc4 El:xgS with a roughly equal position. 32.ttlxc4 gxg5 Mter the dust settled they reached an approximately equal ending. However, Black has to be more careful as White has three pawns for the exchange. 33.gdl ghg8 34.ttle3 gf8? Mter this the black rooks lose their activity. I remember they both were in time trouble. 34 . . . El:cS was clearly better than the text move.

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3S.tLl5 f7? Black's position continues to slide downhill. 35 . . . �g6 was best, although Black is still struggling. 36J!d7t g6 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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Just compare this position with that from four moves ago. White's pieces have improved dramatically, and his material advantage should be enough to decide the game. 37.h3 White improves his king while taking away the g4-square from the enemy rook. This would be the choice of most strong players, although it was also possible to win with 37.h4!? �g4 (37 . . . �gxf5 38.exf5 t @xf5 39.@g2 @e4 40.�d6 a5 4 1 .h5 is winning) 38 .�g7t @h5 39.�h7t @g6 40.�h6t @f7 4 1 .�xa6 with a winning ending, as Black still cannot capture the e4-pawn. 37 .. J!h8? 37 . . . �b8 was relatively best, although the ending was still lost. 38.h2 gghS 39.gd3 gb8 40.b3 gS 4 1 . g3 ghh8 1-0 In this hopeless posltlon Laszlo resigned. He lost the endgame because he did not use his rooks actively. He probably used up most of his time and energy defending against the imaginative attack.

In 1 979 Honfi was awarded the title of honoured trainer of Hungary. He was twice the captain of the Hungarian women's team at chess Olympiads, and both times the team finished with a silver medal. WGM Zsuzsa Veroczi made her best result under his coaching - she reached the world championship candidate match stage in 1 979. But their relation ended before her match with loseliani. Once they stopped working together her results deteriorated noticeably. My second meeting with Karcsi Bacsi over the board was in the last round of the qualification tournament of the Hungarian championship. I was 1 9 and had already won the group. I played the opening well and obtained a considerable advantage, then my concentration slipped and I made a big mistake. Here is how he punished me.

Tibor Karolyi - Karoly HonG Budapest 1 980

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1 . .. hb2 2.�xb2 tLlBt! Thanks to the weak back rank, Black wins the queen. The consequences were unfortunate for me, and I quickly collapsed. 3.gxB gxe4 4.gxe4?

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I completely missed the second shot, but the position was lost anyway. 4 .. J:�xd5! 0-1 After the post mortem he told me: "I had thought you were lucky in the tournament - I did not think you were this strong." Does a junior need a more gentle encouragement? Honfi continued to play tournaments regularly in the 1 980s. Here is a win using a slightly unusual opening line which he prepared himself, and which suited his style perfectly. Later we analysed it together a lot and I also played it. If my memory serves me well, I managed to improve the variation he was worried about. In this game he beat a very strong grandmaster, who represented Germany on top board ten times. Grandmaster Unzicker even won a tournament in the Soviet Union in the sixties.

Wolfgang Unzicker - Karoly Honfi Baden-Baden 1 98 1

l .e4 e5 2.ttla ttle6 3 ..ib5 a6 4 ..ia4 ttlfG 5.0-0 .ie7 6J�el b5 7 . .ib3 d6 8.e3 0-0 9.h3 He also faced 9.d4 many times, including the following game which was quite a memorable one for me. I really like the complicated way he handled the middlegame. Such play was typical for him. 9 . . . ig4 1 0.ie3 exd4 l 1 .cxd4 d5 1 2.e5 'De4 1 3 .'Dbd2 'Dxd2 1 4.�xd2 ixf3 1 5 .gxf3 ib4 1 6.�c2 'Da5 1 7.El:ed l f5 1 8 .�d3 'Dc4 1 9.ic l

1 9 . . . El:b8! 20.a3 ie7 2 1 .ic2 El:b6! Imaginative utilization of his rook. 22.b3 'Da5 23.Wh l �e8 24.El:gl �h5 25 .id l f4 26.El:g2 'Db7 27.a4 b4 28 .id2 a5 29.El:c l c6 Now he blocks the path of the rook - it is unprejudiced play. 30.El:g4 �h6 3 1 .ie2 'Dd8 This was Mortensen - Honfi, Budapest 1 987. Unfortunately I do not have the rest of the moves of this game. As I recall, he went on to win against his strong Danish opponent. 9 ... ttla5 10 ..ie2 e5 l 1 .d4 'fIe7 12.ttlbd2 cxd4 1 3.cxd4 .ib7 14.d5! White should play against the bishop on b7. Instead 1 4.'Df1 El:ac8 1 5 .El:e2 d5 sees Black becoming quite active. Karcsi Bacsi won a few nice games playing this way. 14 .. J�ae8 1 4 . . . ic8 has been tested, but I knew he would never play such a line. 15 ..id3 ttld7 1 6.ttlfl f5 17.exfS The most critical move is 1 7.'Dg3! when Black can choose between 1 7 . . . fXe4 and the exchange sacrifice 1 7 . . . f4 1 8 .'Df5 El:xf5 1 9.exf5 . I am not fully convinced about Black's chances, although the game is quite complicated. 17 ....ixd5

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1 8.ttlg3 In the case of 1 8 . 'D g5 ixg5 1 9.ixg5 we had prepared 1 9 . . . ia8!. Later I played this move myself. According to my database Magerramov

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played it a year earlier, but we did not know about that game. 18 ...'i;Yb7 19 ..ie4 lilf6 20.,hdSt 'i;YxdS 2 1 .'i;Ye2 gc7 22.gdl 'i;Yb7 23 ..igS lilc4 24.gac1 h6 2S ..txf6 .ixf6 26.lile4 .ie7 27.f6?! This sacrifice is unnecessary and uncalled for. 27 ... gxf6 28.lilc3 lilb6 29.lilh4 f5 30.lilgG gf6 3 1 .'i;YhS .if8 32.lilxfB gg7 Black is a pawn up but his king is a bit airy, so White has realistic drawing chances. 33.g3 33.f3!? might be a bit better. 33 ... �xfB 34. 'i;Yh4

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34 ... ggg6! 3S.'i;Yb4? White still could resist, but he forgets about his king and makes an instantly losing move. 3 5 .�d3 was better. 3S ...'i;Yf3! White simply has no pieces around to defend the king. 36.gc2 lilc4 37.ge2 37.ttJe2 �xg3t 38.fxg3 ttJe3 wins for Black. 37 ... f4 0-1 In this event Ribli finished equal first with Miles on the score-table, but - presumably thanks to a favourable tie-break - he received the special

prize of a big Mercedes! Unfortunately the car was subsequently written off in an accident in Bulgaria. Honfi helped Ribli to analyse the car-decisive adjourned position. Ribli went on to draw the position against Korchnoi. It seems Karcsi Bacsi found a subtle way to win for Black. Luckily for Ribli, Korchnoi missed it and thus Ribli ended up with the car. Ribli had two cars with him at the end of the tournament, and Karcsi Bacsi drove one of them back to Hungary. During the mid- I 980s Karcsi Bacsi and I became closer. I cannot remember precisely when I first started to visit him regularly to analyse variations. I would say we met on average once per week. The relationship slowly deepened into a friendship. He helped me in other ways too, not only in chess. We talked about many things, quite often about politics. His vision was sharp there too. It was always a special joy investigating positions with him, not only because he was a strong player, but the way he looked at chess was so different from mine - probably the most different out of any player with whom I have worked. It is interesting to compare him with Leko, who was the strongest player I ever worked with. Peter's moves were stronger; of course I cannot compete with the overall quality of his analysis. However, I always understand what he is doing and what he is playing for. But the way Karcsi Bacsi analysed, he had such deep and imaginative ideas that it often took me a lot of time to fathom the point behind his moves. It felt like I was watching a magician's show, and suddenly he shows us a rabbit! One moment I had no idea what he was doing, and then out of the blue he was winning! When I was travelling to his house I had butterflies in my stomach, almost in a similar

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way to when I had a date with a girl. What was his new idea in the variation we looked at last time? How will he like my latest analysis? How many lines will he destroy and how many will he approve? Since we had such different ways of approaching a position, we made a good analysis team, each of us benefiting from the other's input. We constantly spotted mistakes and found improvements, gradually refining our analysis. It happened sometimes that he had a problem in one of his lines and I managed to improve a critical position of a key variation. It was so nice to see him being happy because of it. It is remarkable, but I do not recall ever playing a single blitz game with him. Probably because there were always so many positions to analyse. Although Karcsi Bacsi was a gentle person, he was also steadfast and resolute when the situation demanded it. When he thought he was right, he always stuck to his principles under any conditions. His approach to life was very strongly influenced by his Catholic religion. Once he told me he found it difficult at times to maintain his faith while many of those around him were non-believers. Many really strong chessplayers have difficulties dealing with the problems of everyday life, but that was not the case with Honfi. He did not look down upon ordinary people, and he respected less successful chess players as well. In his middlegames it is striking that he so often got an irregular position. He was strong in the openings, although, given his creative approach, it is hardly surprising that some of his ideas have been busted by computers. His wife gave me a lot of his opening preparations, and even now, whenever I work on a line I always check his notes. Often very nice ideas can be found. Here is an example.

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8.tLlh3! I found this excellent move in his notes with a novelty sign. Later I found games with it in the database, however I am certain he did know not about these and found the move on his own. 8 ... tLlfS 8 ... txh3 9.cxd4 td7 1 0.dxe5 ± 9 ..ixb5t .id7 1 0 . .ixd7t �xd7 1 1 .0-0 White stands better. Honfi played a few correspondence events until the mid- 1 960s, although these were more like a hobby compared with over-the-board tour naments. During the 1 970s he gave up corre spondence play altogether, apart from helping his wife with her games. He did start playing again in 1 98 1 , and continued to do so into the 1 990s. The next game we analysed a lot to gether. I will share the analysis we did together, although in some places I have added some of my own refinements that I found later on.

Bartolome Marcussi Karoly Honfi -

Correspondence 1 990

l .e4 tLlf6 2.e5 tLld5 3.d4 d6 4.tLlf3 tLlb6 This was his pet line in the Alekhine; the point of it is that on 4 . . . g6 5 .tc4 was a good move, and the text avoids it.

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5.tLlc3 g6 6 ..tf4 If White manages to preserve the e5-pawn without allowing Black to exchange a lot of pieces, he will have a considerable advantage 6 ....tg7 7.Wid2 .tg4 8 ..th6 .txh6 The alternative is: 8 . . . 0-0 The theory at the time judged this line as inferior for Black. 9.h4 !xf3 1 0.h5 !xh5 1 O . . . !h8 was played in Zaitsev - Zinser, Moscow 1 968, in which White obtained an advantage. 1 1 .!!xh5 !xh6 Honfi told me Black has a reasonable position here despite the theoretical verdict. However he never tried it in a competitive game. 1 2.!!xh6 dxe5 1 3.!!h4 f5 1 4.�h6 !!f7 1 5 .dxe5 ttJc6 1 5 . . . e6 can also be considered. 1 6.e6 !!g7 Black is okay. 9.Wixh6 La 1 0.gxf3 1 0.�g7 @d7 I l .gxf3 �f8 Black is somewhat better. 1 0 ... dxe5 1 1 .dxe5 White gains no advantage with 1 1 .�g7 !!f8 1 2.0-0-0 e6, e.g. 1 3.ttJe4 (after 1 3.dxe5 �g5 t 1 4.@b l ttJ 8d7 1 5 .ttJb5 0-0-0 1 6.ttJxa7t @b8 1 7.ttJb5 �f4! 1 8 .!e2 !!g8 1 9.!!d4 �xd4 20 .�xg8 Black has a pleasant endgame) 1 3 . . . ttJ 8d7 1 4.!b5 �h4 ( l 4 . . . c6! ?) and Black is safe. 1 1 . .. e6 12.tLle4 It is a feature of the Alekhine that White will often attack in the early stages. However, if his attack runs out of steam, he will frequently be left with a worse position. 1 2 ... tLl8d7 1 3 ..tb5 1 3.0-0-0 �e7 1 4 .�f4 0-0-0 is safe enough for Black. 1 3.�g7 !!f8 1 4.!b5 is also not dangerous: 14 . . . �h4 1 5 .ttJf6t @e7 1 6.ttJxd7 ttJxd7 1 7.!xd7 @xd7 1 8 .0-0-0t @e7 1 9.!!d2 !!g8

Black takes over. For instance, after 20.!!d7t? (20.�f6t! is necessary) 20 . . . @xd7 2 1 .�xf7t @c6 22.�xe6t @b5 there is no perpetual, so the extra rook is decisive. 1 3 ... c6 14.tLld6t 1 4.!e2 �e7 1 5.ttJd6t ( l 5 .�g7 �f8 1 6.ttJd6t @e7) 1 5 . . . @d8 1 6.�g7 @c7 1 7.�xf7 �xf7 1 8 .ttJxf7 !!he8! 1 9.f4 !!e7 20.ttJg5 ttJd5 Black is slightly better with the powerful knights.

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14 ... �e7 He liked to call such a position an 'egg dance' . Black's play is hair-raising, and one mistake could lead to disaster. 1 5.Wih4t f6 1 6.tLle4 In this extremely complex position, we analysed several possibilities: 1 6.�b4? ttJd5 1 7.�a3 cxb5 1 8.ttJxb7t b4 wins for Black. 1 6.ttJxb7 �c7 1 7.exf6t ( l 7.�b4t @f7) 1 7 . . . @f7 1 8 .!a6 ( l 8 .�b4 ttJd5) 1 8 . . . !!ab8 is good for Black. 1 6.0-0-0!? is much more dangerous. Now Black may try: a) 1 6 . . . ttJd5?! 1 7.ttJe4 with a further division: a l ) 1 7 . . . ttJxe5?? 1 8 .!!xd5 wins for White. a2) 1 7 . . . cxb5? 1 8 .exf6t ttJ7xf6 1 9.!!xd5 ( l 9.ttJxf6 @f7) 1 9 . . . exd5 20.�xf6t @d7 2 1 .ttJc5t @c8 22.�g7 !!b8 23.ttJe6 and White wins. a3) 17 . . . @f7 is relatively best, but after

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Chapter 5 - Karoly Honfi I B .exf6 ctJ7xf6 1 9.ctJg5t @gB 20 .!c4 Wd6 White is somewhat better. b) 1 6 . . . cxb5 ! Black should bravely take the piece and challenge White to do his worst! 1 7.exf6t ctJxf6 I B .E!:he l I B .ctJf5 t ? exf5 is nothing. I B . . . ctJbd7 1 9.ctJe4 1 9.E!:xe6t? @xe6 20.E!:e 1 t ctJe5 does not work for White. 1 9 . . . Wb6 20.E!:xd7t @xd7 2 1 .ctJxf6t 2 1 .Wxf6 E!:adB defends. 2 1 . . . @c7 2 1 . . .@cB 22.E!:e3 is dangerous. 22.ctJd5t exd5 23.E!:e7t @cB! 23 . . . @d6? 24.Wf6t @c5 25 .Wc3t @d6 26.We5t @c5 27.E!:d7!! Wc6 2B .We3t White forces checkmate. 24.Wg4t @bB 25 .Wf4t @cB The game ends in perpetual check. The move played in the game is also quite dangerous. Black must react precisely.

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16 ... g2 CtJg4! Black has only a rook for the queen, but in this position it is enough to hold the position. 26.Wfe 1 (26.cj;>h 1 CtJf2t) 8 7 6 5 4

somewhat imprecise bishop retreat on move 22 can be seen, as Black has no . . . ib4 this time. 27.cj;>h l CtJc2 28 .Wfd l CtJxa l 29.ib5 �e3 (29 . . . c6 30.dxc6 bxc6 3 1 .ic4 �f6 32.cj;>g2 �e3 33.CtJg5 and White wins) 30.CtJh4 CtJxb3 3 1 .axb3 (3 1 .CtJxg6 CtJd4) 3 1 . . .�f6 32.CtJg2 �e4

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Black keeps a certain amount of compensation; his pieces are active, his structure is solid and White has problems mobilizing his forces. Nevertheless White should still be better because of the material advantage. 24.Wfd3 ig2t 25.cj;>gl ih3

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26 . . . ib4! The tremendous activity of the black pieces provides full compensation for the material deficit. 23.�b l ? White steps out o f the potential fork, but walks into an even bigger problem. Among the heavy threats, White had a narrow path to keep an advantage. He should have defended with: 23.�fl ! CtJe3 23 . . . ixfl 24.Wfxfl CtJf2t 25.cj;>g2 CtJg4 26.'lWe l ! CtJe3t Now the drawback of the

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Now if White is not satisfied with a repetition, he can choose between two main moves (26.�fe l ?! �d6! does not help him) . a) 26.�f2?! CtJg4 27.CtJd4 CtJxf2 28.cj;>xf2 �f6t White must be careful here. 29.if3!

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29.c;t>g l ? ixd4t 30.Wxd4 �xe2! The rook decides the outcome on the second rank. 3 1 .Wh4 �xa2! 32.�c1 (32.�e l �g2t 33.c;t>h l �e2 wins) 32 . . . �g2t 33.c;t>h l 8

30.hxg3 �f6 Black's active piece play does not fully compensate for the material he has invested. 23 ... tLlflt 24.@gl

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33 . . . �c2! 34.�e l �e2! 3 S .�c 1 ig2t 36.c;t>gl ixdS White is out and gone. 29 . . . ig4 30.c;t>g2 ixd4 3 1 .�fl ! The rook needs to help in the defence. 3 1 .Wxd4? ixf3t 32.c;t>gl �e2 wins. 3 1 . . .�e3 32.Wxd4 ixf3t 33.c;t>gl �e2 34.�f2 �e l t 3 S .�fl White holds the draw. b) 26.tDd4! White can get rid of most of the pressure by returning some material.

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26 . . . ixfl 26 . . . �d6 27.�f4 �xdS 28 .if3 �xd4 29.�xd4 tDfS 30.c;t>h l tDxd4 3 1 .ixb7 and White is better. 27.�xfl �d6! 28.c;t>h l ! tDxfl 29.tDfS tDxg3t

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24 JU6! This is a coolly calculated move. It shows that Black has time to build the attack. 25.h4! White endeavours to free his pieces. If he tries 2S .Wc2? then 2S . . . tDg4t 26.c;t>h l ig2t! wins the queen in a very cute way. 25 ... a4! It is amazing that, having sacrificed his queen, Black is able to play so calmly. The text ensures the stability of the bishop on b6, while also keeping the enemy pieces locked in. Instead the hasty 2S . . . �xf3 ? would squander the advantage in what has so far been a wonderful game. 26.bxaS id4 (26 . . . ia7 27.Wxb7) 27.Wb4 White is not worse. 26.tLlg5 This leads to a nice forced checkmate. 26.a3 would have allowed Black to carry out his threat: 26 . . . �xf3 27.ixf3 tD d l t! and checkmate follows soon. The other main option was: 26.Wc2 tDd3t! Black has several wins but this one is most in the spirit of his previous play. The following alternatives are also quite entertaining. .•

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26 . . Jhf3 27.�xc7! iJ.xc7 28.iJ.xf3 �e5 !! Black is better. 26 . . . lLl d l t!? This wins as well. 27.�c5 (27.cj;>h l iJ.g2t!) 27 . . . iJ.xc5t 28.bxc5 �xf3 29.�axd l �fe3 30.cj;>f2 �xe2t 3 1 .�xe2 �xe2t 32. cj;>xe2 iJ.g4 t 33. cj;> d2 iJ.xd 1 34. cj;>xd 1 f5 The pawn ending is easily winning for Black. 27.cj;>h l lLlxe 1 28.lLlxe l Or 28 .�xe l �xf3 . 2 8 . . . �f2 White is hopelessly lost. 26 ... �g4t! Ashot, like a computer, does not miss the forced mate. It was not too late to ruin the previous work with 26 . . . lLle4t 27.cj;>h l lLlxg5 ? 28 .iJ.g4!' 27.<j;>hl

that this could easily have been one of Garry's masterpieces as well. Next we will see another example of his creativity, this time against a future FIDE World Champion.

Ashot Nadanian - Ruslan Ponomariov Kiev 1 997

l .�a d5 2.h4 Ashot quickly aims for an original position. 2 .tg4 3 ..th2 �d7 4.h5 �gf6 5.a4!? This is a very early start to a remarkable handling of the wing pawns. 5 ....txa 6.gxf3 e5 7.�gl g6 8.e3 .tc5 .•.

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27 ....tg2t!! This is a marvellous move, and it must have been such a thrill to play it on the board. 28.<j;>xg2 �f2t 29.<j;>h3 The feeble 29.cj;>gl loses trivially after 29 . . . �fXe2t 30.cj;>f1 lLlxh2#, or 30.cj;>h l �xh2#. 29 ... �xh2t 30.<j;>xg4 h5t 3 1 .<j;>f4 .te3t 0-1 White resigned two moves before the checkmate. After the opening, Black's exceptionally skilful attacking play suggests

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9.a5!? This is a remarkable way to utilize the flank pawns. 9 ... 0-0 10.a6!? By now you were probably not expecting anything else! 10 ... h6 It is remarkable that White has already expended three tempos in order to plant a pawn on a6. What did he get in exchange? He gained some space and secured some potential light squared outposts. Finally, the a6-pawn might eventually become dangerous in the endgame.

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I I J�a4!? And here is a fourth reason! White activates his rook in a highly original way. 1 1 . . .'\We7 1 1 . . . d4! ? was an interesting and principled alternative. 12.f4!? Ashot tries to get rid of the doubled pawns. 1 2 ... e4 8 7 6

1 3 ... tt)eB 14.'\Wh5!? Another piece goes to the edge. 14 ... £5 15.Y;Yh6 tt)dfG 1 6.i.e2 �f7 17.tt)c3? Chess can be a paradoxical game. White brings another piece into the game, but it turns out to be a mistake. Instead the much stronger 1 7.h5! would have put Ponomariov on the brink of a loss. 1 7 . . .'lWfB I B .'IWg5 �g7 1 9.�h l White's pressure on the g- and h-files is very unpleasant for Black. 17 ...Y;Ye6 1 B.h5 Despite the previous inaccuracy, Black's position is still not easy. I B ...i.fB 1 9.Y;Yg5 �g7 20.h6?! White closes the other wing as well. I do not like this idea even though it wins a tempo and gains further space. From now on the play takes place in the centre, the area that was previously ignored by White. 2o.iWh4! would have maintained the tension on the kingside. 20 ... �d7 2 1 .tt)a2 This places one more piece on the edge, but in my opinion White has now gone over-the edge with his unorthodox manoeuvres. Over the next few moves Ponomariov gradually assumes control of the game. 2 1 . ..i.e7 22.Y;Yg2 c5! 23.bxc6 Y;Yxc6 24.tt)c3 tt)d6 25.Y;Yfl �cB

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13.h4!? Now he pushes the other rook-pawn as well! It is extraordinary that nine of White's first 1 3 moves have been pawn moves, and only one of those has been with a central pawn. Black's position is not at all easy; White's last move shows his intention to soften up the kingside.

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26.�d4?! The rook occupies an original outpost but

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Chapter 6 - Ashot Nadanian it gets wrapped up. Even Ashot's mistakes contain elements of creativity. 26 tLlc4 27 .ial b5! 28 .ixc4 bxc4 The rook has become incarcerated, while the rest of White's pieces are hopelessly uncoordinated 29.%Yh3 f7 30.tLle2 gb8! Black has achieved total control, and he went on to convert his advantage easily. 31 .f1 gbl t 32.g2 gxgl t 33.xgl %Yxa6 34 .ic3 .ic5 35.%Yh4 tLlg4 36.tLlg3 %Ye6 37.g2 .ixd4 38 .ixd4 %Ye7 0-1 On this occasion Ashot's highly imaginative play did not quite bring him the desired result. Nevertheless it was fascinating to see how he achieved what could easily have become a dominating position, against one of the rising stars of world chess, by playing in such an outlandish manner. •••

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game. Note that 23 . . . El:aeB?! would be a mistake, as after 24.e4! White gets a small edge. 24.tLlxd4?! White probably expected a peaceful end with this finesse, made possible by Black's weak back rank. The position is objectively still not worse for White, but Black obtains very dangerous play. Instead White could have obtained a reasonable position with 24.El: l c2.

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Let me show you another game in which his imagination sparkled.

Roman Akopov - Ashot Nadanian Yerevan 1 998

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23 gd8 Black brings the rook into play - in a more conventional way than we saw in the previous

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24 g5!! What a way to avoid the back rank tricks! The move also has an attacking function. Instead 24 ... tt'lxd4?! would lead to a draw. 2 S .El:xd4 (2S.e4 El:xe4 26.fxe4 Wxe4t 27.@h3 WfS t 2B.@g2 We4t Black gives a perpetual) 2S . . . El:xe2t 26.Wxe2 Wxd4 The position has simplified into a dead equal ending. 25.e3! 2S .e4? WeS 26.El:d l El:ed7 and Black wins. Playing for a fortress with 2 S .tt'lxc6 also did not work. 2S . . .Wxd2 26.tt'lxe7t @g7 27.tt'lfSt @f6 2B.El: l c2 (2B.El:4c2 WaS) 2B ... WaS White loses the a-pawn, and eventually the game. 25 g4 26.%Yfl There was an interesting alternative in 26.@g l ! ? (but not 26.El:cS ? Wxf3tO 26 . . . gxf3 (26 . . . tt'leS 27JkB El:eeB 2B.El:xdB El:xdB 29.fxg4 tt'lxg4 and Black has compensation, but he is certainly not better) 27.Wf2 tt'leS 2B.El:4c3 El:deB 29.a3 White can live with the f3-pawn. •••

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26 tLle5 27.e4!? This causes a change in the material balance, without changing the overall equilibrium. Despite the dangerous appearance, White has several ways to stay in the game. However, it is much easier when you have a computer to assist the analysis. Over the board, under the pressure of the ticking clock, the task is not so enviable One nice defence is 27JkS lLld3 2s.lLlf5!! White is not worse. There is also 27Jk5! ? This holds narrowly. 27 . . . gxf3t 2S.@g l ! (2s.lLlxf3 ? �e4!) 2S . . . �e4 (2S . . . �xa2 29.�c2) 29.�fl ! lLlg4 30.�xf3 lLlxe3 3 1 .lLlf5!! Benjamin Galstian's lovely move saves White. 3 1 . . .lLlxf5 (3 1 . . .lLlxfl ? 32 .�c3!) 32.�xe4 There is not much left to play for. 27 %Yxc4 28J!xc4 tLlxc4 29.fxg4 29.lLlf5 ? �ed7 wins for Black. However, 29.b3 was possible. 29 . . J=!ed7! 30.lLle2! (30.bxc4? �xd4 wins) 30 . . . lLle5 3 1 .fxg4 �d2 Now 32.@h3? �Sd3! followed by . . . lLlf3 wins for Black, but 32.�f6! enables White to survive. 29 J�xe4 30.tLlf3 tLle3t 3 1 .h3 •••

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Please note that 3 1 . . .lLlxg4?! would allow White to free the queen with 32.�xa7. 32.tLlh4 Other moves were possible as well, but they also did not get rid of Black's grip. Possible lines include 32.�e2 lLlxg4 33 .�c2 @g7 or 32.g5 �f5 33 .�e2 lLlg4 34.�g2 . 32 tLlxg4 33JWf3?? The pressure finally took its toll on White's concentration. •••

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33 J�d2! 0-1 ••

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Ashot's creativity has helped him to invent some surprising novelties in very well-known openings. Let's have a closer look at some of his spectacular ideas!

4

Ashot Nadanian D. Sharbatov

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Correspondence 1 992

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3 1 ..J;d5! This creates unpleasant threats. For a human it is very hard to defend White's position, although objectively he can still survive.

l .e4 e5 2.tLlf3 tLlf6 3.tLlxe5 d6 4.tLlf3 tLlxe4 5.d4 d5 6 .id3 tLlc6 7.0-0 .ig4 8.c4 tLlf6 9.tLlc3 .ixf3 1 0.%Yxf3 tLlxd4 1 1 .%Yh3 tLle6 1 2.cxd5 tLlxd5 •

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1 3.,ig6!! This beautiful move was a novelty at the time. The bishop exploits one pin while creating another. By the way it is not only aesthetic, but highly effective as well. Since this game was played, the same position has occurred only once more in the database. Chess Informant has a competition for the best novelty of each volume. This one finished 7th. Both Anand and Ftacnik awarded it a maximum of 1 0 points. 13 %Yd7!? Black is walking on a tightrope and he can easily fall. For the moment he avoids losing in the complications, but not for long. Let's check a few of the alternatives. Mter 1 3 . . . tLlxc3 ? 1 4.Wfxe6t Wfe7 l S .j,xf7t Wd8 •..

No better is 1 3 . . . Wff6? 1 4.j,xf7t! Wfxf7 ( 1 4 . . . Wxf7 l S .tLlxdS) l S .tLlxdS and Black is caught. After 1 3 . . . tLldf4 1 4.j,xf4 tLlxf4 l S .Wfe3t j,e7 1 6.j,xf7t Wxf7 1 7.Wfxf4t Black is unlikely to finish his development. With 1 3 . . . tLle7 he avoids losing material but blocks his own development and produces a joyless position. 1 4J!d l Wfc8 l S .j,e4! White has tremendous compensation. ( 1 S .j,c2!? is also good.) After 1 3 . . . hxg6!? Black can stay in the game for some time, however White should win with the material advantage. 1 4.Wfxh8 tLlxc3 l S .bxc3 Wfd7 ( 1 S . . . Wff6 1 6.:gd l ) 1 6.j,e3 0-0-0 1 7.Wfh4 Black does not have enough for the exchange. 14J:�e l ! 0-0-0 Black castles long, which is so natural, yet this was not the only way to bring the king to safety. An interesting alternative was: 1 4 . . . j,e7!? l S .:gxe6 l S .:gd l fxg6 1 6.tLlxdS j,d6 is okay for Black. l S . . . fxg6! Black has no time for l S . . . tLlxc3 ?:

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1 6.j,gS! wins nicely.

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1 6.j,gS !! This superb finesse fluently destroys Black's position. 1 6 . . . tLldS ( 1 6 . . . 0-0-0 1 7.:gxe7 wins) 1 7.j,xf7t! Black is lost. 1 6.j,gS O-O! This keeps Black in the game.

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1 7J!xe7 1 7.ixe7 tiJf4 1 8 .'Wf3 'Wxe6 1 9.ixf8 �xf8 20.'Wxb7 tiJd3 All Black's pieces work well. 17 . . . 'Wxh3 1 8 .gxh3 tiJxe7 1 9.ixe7 �f7 White has no more than a small advantage. lS.tLlxdS hxg6 Other moves lose, e.g. 1 5 . . . 'Wxd5 ? 1 6.ixf7, or 1 5 . . . fxg6? 1 6.�xe6 'Wxd5:

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l7.Y;Yxd8t! Y;Yxd8 l 8.tLlxb4 White has won too much material for the queen. The remainder of the game requires no further comment. l8 aS 1 9.tLlc2 Y;Yd3 20.tLla3 bS 2 1 .i.e3 b4 22.:Bedl Y;Ya6 23.tLlc2 1-0 White introduced a visually pleasing and very strong novelty. Black could have survived and stayed in the game with a worse position. But the pressure Ashot built was too much for him and I believe it would have done the trick against most other players as well. .•.

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1 7.ig5 ! This is another graceful winning move. l 6.Y;Yxh8 i.b4? This mistake wins the queen, but loses the game without any resistance. I think the number of calculations Ashot forced Black to make had something to do with it. Relatively best was: 1 6 . . .'Wxd5 1 7.'Wh3 ib4 1 8 .�f1 @b8

Kasparov is probably the greatest opening player of all time. He introduced so many novelties, and scored convincingly with them. Ashot has some similarities, but also some differences. Most obviously, he is also an innovator who produces new ideas. On the other hand his novelties are less frequent and not as deeply analysed.

Ashot Nadanian A Mpenza -

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Black has a pawn for the exchange, and White's pieces are less than ideally placed. Nevertheless White has decent chances to win thanks to his extra material.

Correspondence 2000

l .d4 dS 2.c4 e6 3.tLlc3 i.e7 4.tLla tLlf6 S.i.f4 0-0 6.e3 cS 7.dxcS hcs 8.Y;Yc2 tLlc6 9.a3 Y;YaS

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28.VMb7 VMfS 29.�bal! �c2 30.�a8 This is classical stuff - White exchanges a defender of the d-pawn, while also preparing to invade along the eighth rank. 30 �xa8 3 1 .�xa8t c.t>h7 32.VMb8 �c1 t 33.c.t>h2 The rules allow no choice on this move, but do not worry - some remarkable tactics are looming ahead! 33 ... g4 This is the most stubborn move. It is interesting to consider the alternatives. Firstly, there is the weak 33 . . . 'lWg4? 34.'lWg8t @g6 3 S .:!:!a6t f6. Now White wins in spectac ular style with 36J=!xf6t!! @xf6 37.'lWe8!. Also insufficient is: 33 . . . hS? 34.ieS! Precision is required to weave the proper mating net. 34.'lWg8t? would allow Black to escape. 34 . . . @h6 3 S J=!a6t f6 36.f4 (36J=!a7 'lWh7) 36 . . . h4! 37.fxgS t @hS 38 .'lWflt @g4 39.ie l ! (and not 39.ib8 ?? 'lWfl 40.'lWe6t fS when White gets checkmated) 39 .. .:!:he l 40.'lWxg7 •..

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This is such a well-known position that it is hard to produce a novelty here. Hard - but not impossible! 10.�a2!? A truly inspired move. The rook refrains from moving to the open file as it is supposed to do. And of course the novelty occurs on the edge of the board! 10 ... ttle4 l 1 .cxd5! ttlxc3 1 2.bxc3 exd5 13 ..id3 h6 14.0-0 White has obtained a small edge from the opening. 14 ... �e8 1 5.a4!? .ifB 1 6.�dl Interesting is 1 6.:!:!b2!? 16...g5! 17 ..ig3 .ig7 1 8.ttld4 ttlxd4 1 9.cxd4 .ig4 20.�bl Mter 20.f3!? .id7 2 1 ..ie l 'lWd8 22 .id2 White is somewhat better. 20 ... �ac8 2 1 .VMb2! VMc3 Mter 2 1 . . . b6 22.'lWbS White has a small but persistent advantage; it is never an easy task to defend such a position. 22.h3! VMxd3 23.hxg4 b6 23 .. J=!e7!? could have been considered. 24.VMb5 VMe4 25.a5 bxa5?! 2S .. J=!e6 was a better option. 26.�xa5 �ed8 27.�xa7 VMxg4 White retains an edge in the simplified position, thanks to his single pawn island versus Black's two. The dS-pawn is particularly vulnerable.

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40 . . J=!h I t! 4 1 .@xh l 'lWb I t 42.@h2 'lWb8t With a perpetual. 34 . . . ixest 34 . . .f6 3 S .'lWg8t @h6 36J=!a7 'lWg6 37.id6 wins for White. 3 S .dxeS 'lWe6 36.'lWg8t @h6 37J=!e8 Black's king is caught.

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Finally there is: 33 . . . �g6?! This leads to some nice variations. 34.�g8 �d7 34 . . . �b l is met by 3 5 .i.e5 . 3 5 .�d8 �f5 36.�d6t f6 37.�e6! �g4 37 . . . �b l 38.i.e5 wins for White.

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38.�xf6t!! Nicely demolishing the pawn chain in front of the king 38 . . . �xf6 39.�e8! And White wins, just as m the earlier variation with 33 . . . �g4? 34.Wig8t g6 35J�a6t! Nadanian conducts the attack with precision. Not 3 5 .i.e5 ? ?

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3 5 . . . �xf2!! 36.�xg7t �h5 White will soon be mated. Also unsatisfactory was 3 5 .i.f4?! �f6 when Black is still in the game.

35 £6 36.Wie8t The check is directed against the idea of . . . �c8 . 36 h7 •••

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37.,ih4!! This is another great move on the h-file, which plays a big part in White's eventual victory. The main point is to attack f6 and give room for the king in case Black doubles his major pieces on the first rank. The potential danger of the counterattack can be seen after: 37.�a8 ?! �b l 38 .�g8t 38.i.f4 may be objectively better, but is also insufficient to win. 38 . . . �h l t 39.�g3 h5 (39 . . . �f1 ? 40.�g8t �g6 4 1 .�xd5 �h3t 42.�xg4 wins for White) 40.�e6 �e4 (40 . . . h4t? 4 1 .�xg4 �g6t 42.�f3 and White can parry the check on h5) 4 1 .�xe4t dxe4 42.�a6 (after 42.d5 ? �g6 43.f3 h4t 44.�f2 g3t White has to give up his bishop) 42 . . . �g6 Black is a bit worse but should be able to hold. 38 . . . �g6 39 .i.d6 �h l t 40.�g3 �h3t! With this lovely shot Black forces White to take a draw. Black can force a perpetual himself with 40 . . . �f5 ! ? 4 1 .�a7 �h3t! 42.gxh3 �f3t 43.�h2 �xf2t. 4 1 .gxh3 �g l t 42.�h4 �xf2t 43 .i.g3

21 1


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43 . . . �f1 ! This leaves White with no choice. He must keep checking the king, otherwise he will be mated. 44.�e8t @h7 45 .�g8t The game ends in perpetual check. 37 Jlc7 Black decides to defend. The counterattack would lose as well: 37 . . . �b l 3 8 .i.xf6 �h l t 39.@g3 �f5 40.f4! After 40.i.xg7?? �h3t! Black escapes with a perpetual. 40 . . . �b l No better is 40 . . . gxf3 4 1 .�f7. 4 1 .�a7 �e I t

43.@f5 �b l t 44.@e5 �e4t 4 5 .@d6 �xe8 46.�xg7t @h8 47.�e7t It is all over. 38J��a8 YM e4 38 . . . �d7 39 .i.xf6!! wins, while after 38 . . . � d7 39.�g8t @g6 40.�a5 Black is in trouble. 39.YMg8t g6 40.�m! The threat to take on f6 forces the king to a more vulnerable position. 40 hS •••

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42.@xg4 The king can run forwards, using his pawns as a shield. The checks will soon run out. 42 . . . �d l t 42 . . . �e2t 43.@f5 �h5t 44.@e6 �xe3t (44 . . . �g4t 45 .@d6) 45 .i.e5 White wins.

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41 .ge8 Now it is just a matter of time for White to catch Black's king. 4 1 . YMfS 42 .ig3 gd7 42 . . . �a7 43 .�d8 is winning for White. 43.ge6! YMg6 After 43 . . . �d8 44.�f7t �g6 45 .�c7 White wins. 44.YMc8! gO Or 44 . . . �f7 45.�d6 �xd6 46.�f5#. 4S.YMd8 YMfS 46.YMe8 YMg6 47.gd6 1-0 The novelty on move 1 0 was an imaginative one, played on the edge of the board. Of course, a novelty is only truly satisfying if it leads to a favourable end result, and Ashot showed no mercy with his ruthless attacking play. ••

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of the rare few to have achieved this feat, and he achieved it against an opening as reliable and thoroughly researched as the Griinfeld. The novelty came at a very early stage, and by now it has become an established variation.

Ashot Nadanian - Varuzhan Akobian Yerevan (training game) 1 996

l .d4 �f6 2.c4 g6 3.�c3 d5 4.cxd5 �xd5

Not 8 . . :�h4t? 9.g3 ixd2t 1 O.@xd2! �b4t l 1 .@c l and White ends up with an extra piece. 9.Y;Yxd2 Y;Yh4t Thanks to this tactical point Black regains the sacrificed piece. 10.g3 Y;Yxa4 1 1 .Y;Yd4! Y;Ya5t 1 2.b4 Y;Yb6 1 3.i.g2! Also interesting is: 1 3 .�b l !? ltJc6 1 4.�c3 if5 1 5 .�b2 ie4 1 6.ltJf3 0-0 1 7.ih3! �ae8

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5.�a4!? This move has become known as the Nadanian variation. Needless to say, it uses the edge of the board! 5 ... e5!? This was played at the birth of the variation. Akobian, who was playing Black, was Nadanian's pupil in Armenia and now lives in the United States. 6.dxe5! i.b4t 7.i.d2 �e3! 8.fxe3 This is quite possibly a world record in the history of competitive chess: as early as move eight White has tripled pawns! Chess is reaching new heights - I wonder how long it will be before we see quadrupled pawns in a theoretical position. I have already seen an example in one of Bela Molnar's games, but it happened well beyond the opening phase. 8 i.xd2t •..

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1 8 .@f2! Bareev said that when you play Kasparov the pieces move differently. In this variation given by Nadanian, one gets a similar impression. I like the game continuation even better though. 1 3 0-0 14.�c1 i.e6 ..•

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The position is rather double-edged. The tripled pawns are potentially weak, but they also control several key squares.

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Chapter 6 - Ashot Naclanian

1 5.a4! White should not forget that the pawn was hanging. Once again, Ashot has advanced his a- and b-pawns while his king, g l -knight and h I -rook remain on their original squares! 1 5 e6?! 1 6.tLlf3 I would have been tempted to consider 1 6.ttJh3!? Going through Ashot's games makes one consider such moves on the edge of the board! 1 6 J��d8 17JWf4! Mter several earlier moves on the left flank, White turns his attention to checkmating Black on the h-file. 17 tLla6 1 8J��b l ! White makes a prosaic but strong move on the queenside to defend the b4-pawn. 1 8 .Wh6? Wxb4t 1 9.r41f2 Wf8 defends. 1 8 ... e5 1 9.b5 Also interesting was 1 9.Wh6!? ttJxb4 20.0-0! (and not 20.ttJg5 ? ttJd3t!!) . Having witnessed so many creative moves, one must not forget that the orthodox ones can also prove highly effective. 20 . . .f6 2 1 .exf6 El:d7 22.ttJe5 and White wins. 19 tLlb4 This does not help, although 1 9 . . . r4ig7 20.ttJg5 El:d7 2 1 .0-0 ttJc7 22.El:bd l wins for Whi te as well. 20.�h6! The black king suffers from a lack of defenders, so White goes straight for the throat. 20 tLle2t 2 1 .�f.2 e4 The following is a nice variation: 2 1 . .. El:d7 22.El:bd 1 ! El:xd 1 22 . . . El:c7 23.El:d6 22 . . . El:ad8 23.ttJg5 f6 24.El:d6! El:xd6 25 .Wxh7t r4if8 26.exf6 El:6d7 27.Wh6t r4ig8 28.Wxg6t r4if8 29 .Wh6t r4ig8 30.i.e4 and wins. 23.El:xd l 23.ttJg5 ? ttJxe3! 23 . . . Wc7 ..•

•.

23 . . . El:d8 24.ttJg5! El:xd l 2 5 .ttJxh7 f5 26.Wxg6t r4ih8 27.ttJf6 and White wins. 24.El:d6! 24.ttJg5 Wxe5 25 .Wxh7t r4if8 26.ttJxe6t wins as well, but the text is even nicer. 24 . . . El:d8 25 .ttJg5 El:xd6 26.ttJxh7! This leads to a checkmate in a maximum of five moves. 26.ttJe4 also does the job. 26 . . . f5 27.Wxg6t r4ih8 28.ttJf6 El:d7 29.Wh6t El:h7 30.Wf8t i.g8 3 1 .Wxg8# 22J��bc1 AfS 23.El:xe2! be2 24.tLlg5 �e7 25.�xh7t �f8

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26.tLle6t! 1-0 A nice tactical shot by Ashot finishes the demolition. In the 2005 Singapore Masters, playing against my friend Rico Mascarinas of the Philippines, Ashot stunned his opponent with the bizarre-looking opening: 1 .d4 ttJf6 2.ttJf3 h6!? The move had been played before, but Nadanian was the first to employ it regularly with the intention of playing . . . g5 . I wrote an article on this unusual variation for the New in Chess publication SOS 5. Since then he has played it several times. I shall proceed to demonstrate two blitz wins played on the Internet Chess Club. Of course they should not be taken too seriously, but they provide great entertainment!

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Olivier Renet - Ashot Nadanian

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Internet (blitz) 2006

l .d4 ctlf6 2.ctla h6!? Once again Nadanian finds a way to play creatively on the edge of the board. 3.c4

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3 ... g5!? This is the new conception, the 'Nadanian Attack' . Black gains space on the kingside rather than seemingly weakening it. Later he can position his central pawns according to White's play, which is also a good side of the line. In my 50S article I analysed all the set-ups White has tried so far and I tried to anticipate some attempts to refute it as well. I found no more than a small edge for White - there is no clear best line for him. 4.ctlc3 g4!? Sometimes Ashot delays this move in favour of 4 . . . d6, but on this occasion the g-pawn feels more energetic. 5.ctle5 d6 6.ctld3 h5 7.b3 .ig7 8 ..ib2 .irs 9.e3 ctlbd7 10.WI'd2 c5 1 1 ..ie2 Possible was I l .d5 !? 1 1 . .. a6 1 2.0-0-0? cxd4 1 3.exd4?? He had to play I 3 .4Jd5 4Jxd5 I 4.cxd5 'lWb6 when Black is doing well, but the game is far from over.

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1 3 ....ih6 This wins on the spot. 14.ctlf4 e5 1 5.dxe5 dxe5 16.ctlcd5 ctlxd5 0-1 Of course it is only a three-minute blitz game, yet a decent grandmaster would almost never lose like that in a well-known line. Even without the blunder, White's seemingly logical moves did not achieve anything special for him.

Einar Gausel - Ashot Nadanian Internet (blitz) 2006

l .d4 ctlf6 2.ctla h6 3.c4 g5 4.ctlc3 g4 5.ctld2 h5 Black makes two moves with his h-pawn during the first five moves - in addition to the two with the g-pawn. It is quite extraordinary. 6.e4 d6 7 . .ie2 ctlc6 8.ctlb3 a5!? And now he pushes the rook's pawn on the other flank! 9.d5 a4! Well, what else were you expecting? 10.dxc6 axb3 I 1 .WI'xb3 bxc6 12 ..ie3 c5 13.WI'c2 .ih6 14 ..ixh6 �xh6 1 5.�dl e5 Black has achieved a perfectly decent position. 1 6.0-0 @f8 17.a3 h4 The h-pawn goes further.

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1 8.£4 gxf3 1 9JhB

36 ... �xf3! 37.xf3 �h5t 38.g4 �h3t 0-1

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Once at the Kuala Lumpur open, I happened to overhear two Australian juniors speaking to each other. I heard one saying to the other, "Today I played the reversed Nadanian." I can only wonder what they meant . . .

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19 ... h3! Now it goes further still. Later this pawn will prove quite troublesome for White. 20.g3 g7 2 1 .�df1 .ie6 22.�d2 �g6 23.�e3 �b8 24.�d2 �h8 25.b4 cxb4 26.axb4 �xb4 27.tLld5 hd5 28.�xb4 .ixe4 29.�3fl �h6 30.� a3 .ic6 3 1 .�a7? Mter 3 1 .�c 1 ! the position would be balanced. 3 1 . ...ig2 Finally Black makes use of the outpost created by the adventurous h-pawn. 32.�dl tLle4 33.�xg2?! 33.�f5 was better. 33 ... hxg2 34. xg2 �f6 35 ..if3 tLlc5 36.�a2

Let me illustrate Nadanian's imagination with one of his problems. My experience is that most elite composers do not really appreciate his work. I still dare to venture my opinion that they are very much worth looking at. Here is a problem that he showed me himself. Shakhmatnaya Nedelya 2003

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l .�e4!! The composition also works with the bishop on a8 . I think it is more aesthetic with a c6bishop as it covers more squares. 1 . ..he4 Other possibilities include 1 . . . 4J6e7 2.�e5t @g6 3.4Jxf8#, 1 ... !e7 2.�f5t !g5 3.4Jg7# and 1 . . . 4J 8e7 2.4Je8!!, where White checkmates on the next move. 2.tLlxe4

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Genius i n the Background Black has eighteen legal moves, but all of them allow mate on the next move.

8 7

There are many criteria including originality, artistry, thematic consistency and difficulty, which need to be considered when judging the overall quality of a chess composition. The following study certainly ranks highly on the last category, as Ashot told me that so far nobody has ever solved it! I wonder, dear reader, if you might be the first?

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It is a beautiful mutual zugzwang. White has no threat, but fortunately it is Black to move - and all of his possible moves allow a mate in one! 2 8 Other possible finishes include 2 . . . lL'l Be7 3.lL'lf6#, 2 . . . lL'l6e7 3.lL'lxf4# or 2 . . . ie7 3.lL'lg7#. 3.�g3# ••.

The next problem is very beautiful, but with more pieces. Shakhmatnaya Nedelya, 2004

Shakhmatnaya Nedelya 2004

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White to play and mate in three I J�b2!! axb2 2.ti'b l !!

White has many pieces threatening the king, yet it is not easy to keep on attacking. I J�a8t! 1 .�xd7t only leads to a draw - and even that requires very accurate play from White. Play continues: 1 . . . �xd7 2.�a7t �dB 3.�aBt �e7 4.�eBt! (White loses after 4.�a7t? �f6) 4 . . . �f6 (after 4 . . . �xeB 5 .'lWc6t White makes a perpetual) 5 . hxg5 t �g7 6.�gBt! Black cannot avoid a perpetual check. 1 ... rtle7 2J�xd7t rtlf6 Or 2 . . . �xd7 3 .'lWcBt �e7 4.'lWfBt �d7 5 .'lWxd6#. 3.hxg5t rtle5 Not 3 . . . �g6?? 4.�gB#.

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Chapter 6 Ashot Nadanian 6 . . . @e5

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4.YlYc5!! I find this move astonishing - in 3 5 years of playing chess, it is one of the moves which has amazed me most. Oddly, when I show it to my friends, not all of them like this move. 4 dxc5 4 . . . lLlf5 5 .�d4t lLlxd4 6.exd4# 4 . . . �xd3 5 .�xd6t @e4 6.�xe6# 5J�xd5t! c.t>xd5 5 . . . exd5 6J%e8#

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7.lLlc7! White has time! 7 . . . �xe3 8 .!%xe6t @d4 9.!%d6t @e5 1 0.!%d5# 7.tl:k7t c.t>d4 8J�d6t The fish in the net is still jumping a bit, but not much. 8 ... c.t>e5 9J�xe6t c.t>d4 1 0J�d6t c.t>e5 1 1 .�d5#

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6J�a6!! White has time to keep the king In the centre, where it will be hunted down. 6 YlYxe3 6 . . . �xd3 7.lLlc7t @c4 8 .!%a4#; 6 . . . c4 7.lLlc3t @c5 8.d4t @b4 9.!%a4# ••.

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Black's pieces did not contribute much, but the checkmating combination makes a wonderful impression. At the time of writing Ashot has two grandmaster norms, and I hope he will go on to achieve the title in the future. He works full time as a trainer in Singapore, so he can seldom play. I think the best player he ever defeated was Bologan in the Aeroflot open in 2002. When he plays he is an artist. If he had

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trained as hard as his 'half-brother' then who knows how strong he might have become? But when he is inspired, he is capable of producing magic.

Testimonials Levon Aronian World Cup winner 2005, Winner of Linares 2006 and Wijk aan Zee 2007 super-tournaments: "I was lucky to meet Ashot Nadanian in 1 994. Ashot used to come to our place, as he and my first trainer Melikset Khachiyan were friends. I was too young to appreciate his personality; however, knowing his chess skills and culture was enough to admire him. His passion for beauty, his devotion to the romantic chess school has always been inspiring. Due to the situation in our home country, however, he was not able to display even one tenth of his playing talent. Two or three tournaments per year cannot contribute sufficiently to one's growth, when you are young and willing to demonstrate your strength. That's why Ashot became a coach when he was still pretty young. I will not comment on his teaching concepts here. Mter having been present at his amusing lessons just once, I will always feel envious of his students. Gabriel Sargissian is one brilliant player infected by Ashot's 'virus'. One may call it an inspired attitude. I could keep talking for hours about Ashot as a chess player, composer, theoretician, or a trainer; however I would rather write about him as a person. If I were asked, which of my close friends is the most honest and kind, I would not hesitate to name Ashot. You can talk with him about any subject - Ashot is well-educated and polite to such an extent that, no matter how ignorant one may be, you are never made to feel stupid and, at the same time, you learn a lot from him. He is quite an interesting and benevolent person. Ashot would always be the first to greet you in a time of success, or find proper words at other times. I am very pleased that, since I am successful in what I am doing, I've got a chance to praise this man, one of my dearest, in public. I hope you enjoy the part devoted to Ashot, and the book as a whole. I feel I must thank Tibor Karolyi for not only sharing my vision of my friend, but for writing about him!"

Varuzhan Akobian World Open Champion, 2004 and 2007: "I know Ashot very well - he was my coach from 1 993- 1 999. A lot of the chess knowledge that I have right now has come from studying with Ashot, who was a great teacher and very good friend. He was always interested in doing new research and finding opening novelties. He found many interesting ones, but the most memorable and famous is in the Griinfeld Defence: l .d4 tLlf6 2.c4 g6 3.tLlc3 d5 4.cxd5 tLlxd5 5.tLla4!? This idea became known worldwide and surprised many chess players and fans. I credit a lot of my success to Ashot and thank him for training me for many years."


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Valeri Chekhov Grandmaster; 1 975 World Junior Champion: "International master Ashot Nadanian sadly is a typical example of a chessplayer not realizing his potential. He possesses enormous chess potential, but he was not able to find enough time to work professionally on his chess. Therefore, along with his positive qualities like very subtle understanding of dynamic positions, very good sense of the initiative and quick thinking, Ashot's play has a few negative facets like a weak opening repertoire, bad defence, and the psychological element of the game as well. So far he has not been able to erase these - this is why he has not been able to achieve what he deserves. Apart from the above, Ashot became a trainer too early; this naturally had a bad effect on his creativity. It is not possible to be a good player and a good trainer at the same time. Achieving the grandmaster title is a target for the near future, but it will be practically impossible to move higher from there: too much time has been wasted."

Gabriel Sargissian Member of the Gold-Medal Olympiad team (Turin 2006 champion:

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Dresden 2008) ; Twice Armenian

"Every time I read what someone writes about celebrated people in glowing terms, it make me think, 'Are they really sincere?' Anybody who knows Ashot would not doubt even for a moment the genuineness of what is written about him. Ashot played an important role in shaping me as a chess player - and not only in that. The level of my play had fallen back considerably when I started to train with him in 1 997. I think back with a smile on my face about how impatiently after the first lesson I waited for the next session. I got the impression that I had rediscovered our game. Ashot is a born trainer. Love for chess gets planted into his pupils. During the three years Ashot worked with me I sincerely enjoyed chess very much. For him the beauty of the ideas is the most important thing in chess. This must have had the effect of preventing him from achieving great successes over the board. If he sees a lovely idea he can't help reproducing it over the board. As is known, it is very hard to be successful when one plays competitive chess in this spirit. Ashot has not lived in Armenia for eight years; luckily we can communicate on the net. He is my older friend; I respect his opinion very much and his advice helps me in life a lot. Of course I would like to see him more regularly, but what can you do - things do not always happen as you would like them to."

Ashot Nadanian ready to play 2 h6!? . . .

Chapter 7

Karsten MUller

The Endgame Expert

The personaliry featured in the present chapter is the last one I decided to write about. I had previously thought about finding a German player to appear in the collection, as I spent quite a lot of time in Germany and have fond memories. I played for a small team in Griesheim, where there were several nice people. However what they had achieved in chess did not reach the levels I was considering. I thought of other people as well, but in the end I dropped the idea. The genesis of the present chapter came at the 2007 World Junior championships in Turkey. My former team-mate Tamas Erdelyi was selling chess books there, and I decided to pick up two endgame books, both co-authored by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht: Fundamental Chess Endings and Secrets ofPawn Endings. The German language has an expression I like very much: 'alte fuchs' (it literally means 'old fox' or in other words, 'old experienced fellow') . I considered myself an alte fuchs when it comes to the endgame I have learned a lot from playing, teaching students, and also from my love of endgame studies. Nevertheless, there were many parts of these books that caused me to think about endgames in completely new ways. There were several nice examples that caught my imagination, including quite a few that I had never seen before. I spent quite some time reading, mainly examining positions that were new to me. Mter a while I realized the structure and the teaching system adopted in the books were completely different from mine. I came to the conclusion that there are several effective ways to teach these endings to students. -

22 1

Chapter 7 Karsten Muller -

Anyway this experience triggered the idea of learning more about one of the authors, and 1 thought the wider chess public would be interested to know more about Grandmaster Karsten Muller, the endgame expert. I knew him from some years back. I thought I had spoiled his fortress idea in my Karpov book, but as you will see in a later part of the chapter (beginning on page 247) , it turned out I had just found a different angle of attack. From that time on, we have regularly exchanged opinions about endgames via e-mail. When 1 asked about an interview, for a long time he simply did not answer. He normally responds very quickly. I felt I must have mistakenly offended him in some way. As it turned out, he simply did not receive that particular e-mail of mine. Without further ado, let's get to know him a little better.

When didyou start playing? "I learned the rules at the age of six or seven from my father (his German rating is 1 79 5 , which means roughly 1 8 50 international Elo) , who played in the team competition for Hamburg companies and not for a particular club. He joined HSK only later in 1 996. My father defeated me every time until I reached the fifth class at school and joined a chess club, SC Diogenes Hamburg, at the age of eleven in 1 98 1 . There was a simul by one of the trainers to greet the newcomers and I won my game, which proved to be a promising start." I found a position in one of Karsten's ChessCafe articles. He and his father reached the position after analysing a game. It could almost have been a short study. W

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White to play and win 1 .f2 h5! 35.�d7 �c5? Karsten was in time trouble, which helps to explain this and other errors. I suspect that the competitive stakes may also have had something to do with it. Let me add that Sakaev has also done a good job in stabilizing his position and creating threats - or at least the illusion of threats - on the kingside. Instead of the game continuation, 35 . . . h4! would have been winning at once. 36. c;t> g3? Karsten indicates that 36.h4! was required. 36 ...�g5t? Better was 36 . . . �e5t 37.f4 (37.@f2 h4) 37 . . . h4t 38.@f3 �e4t 39.@g4 �xg2t

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40. @xh4 �f2t 4 1 .@g4 !c2 and White cannot resist. 37. tit> fl �h4t 3S.g3 �dS Black must reorganize his position. It takes Karsten some time to get coordinated and begin the final assault. 39.�c6 gcs 40.�a6 gaS 41 .�b7 gbS 42.�a7 h4! This weakens White's king. 43. tit> g2 �b6 44.�e7 hxg3 45. tit> xg3 gdS 46. tit> g2 �d6 47.�e3 If 47.�h4 g5 . 47 ...�c5 4S.h4 gaS Black has to activate his rook to win. Karsten shows the best way of doing it: 48 .. J%d5 ! 49.�e8t �f8 50.�e3 �c8 5 1 .�f4 � e8 would have been decisive according to the winner. 49.�el �d6 50.�e3 White's fortress is not easy to undermine, although according to Karsten it should not stand up in the long run. 50.ttJb5 �c5 5 1 .ttJd4 :gd8 52.�e3 :gd5 53 .�e8t �f8 54.�e3 �c8 5 5 .�f4 �e8 56.ttJxb3 :gf5 57.�d4 �e2t 58.@gl f6 59.ttJd2 :ge5 and Black wins. 50 ...�c5 5 1 .�el

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5 1 . ..�f8! The queen provides the possibility of . . . :ge8 , and after that it might move to h6. 52.�e6!?

Karsten admits that this move was as shock ing as a lightning bolt for him, but fortunately it is not good enough to save the game. 52 ... fxe6! Not 52 . . . �h6? 53.ttJc7 :gd8 54.ttJe8! and White draws. 53.�e5 After 53.�xe6t �f7 54.�e5 @h7 White's attack runs out of steam. 53 ... ga6 53 . . . :ge8 ?? 54.�h8t @f7 5 5 .�h7t would be embarrassing. 54.�hSt tit> f7 55.�h7t tit> eS 56.�b7

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56 ... gd6! A precisely calculated move. He finally gets the rook active. 57 ..tb4 �e7! Black has so much material he can afford to give some of it back. All White has are some farewell checks. 5S.�b5t tit> f7 59.�bS gdS 60.�f4t �f6 6 1 .�c7t tit> eS 62.�c6t gd7 He has finally escaped the checks, so the game is almost over. 63 ..tc3 �e7 64 ..te5 tit> f7 65.�aS �xh4 0-1 This was an excellent scalp for Karsten, and the fact that it helped his team to earn an important victory would have made it all the more gratifying.

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Incidentally, I think the best players Karsten has beaten are Khalifman and Vaganian. One of the themes of the previous game was that Karsten had to thwart his opponent's attempts to salvage the game by obtaining a fortress. In the following game, he was able to utilize the fortress idea himself, to save what would otherwise have been a hopeless endgame.

What was your best individual result? "This is a difficult question. Probably the fourth place in Lippstadt 2000, where the computer PConners won and Luke McShane finished last. Other candidates are the third places in the German Championships in 1 996 and 1 997." I would like to show the readers some games of yours, which one do you recommend? "I like my game against Peter Acs."

Leonid Kritz - Karsten Miiler Karsten Miiler - Peter Acs German Championship, Saarbruecken 2002 Rethymnon 2003

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l .e4 c5 2.ttla d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ttlxd4 ttlfG 5.ttlc3 a6 6.i.c4 The Sozin has served Karsten really well. 6 e6 7.i.b3 ttlc6 8.i.e3 i.e7 9.0-0 0-0 1 0.f4 ttlxd4 l 1 .hd4 b5 1 2.e5 dxe5 1 3.fxe5 ttld7 14.ttle4 i.b7 1 5.ttld6 i.xd6 1 6.exd6 Y;Yg5 This position has been seen in many games, and both players had confidence in their respective positions. 17.Y;Ye2 1 7J!f2 is equally popular here. 17 ... e5 A year earlier Peter had played 1 7 . . J!ac8 , and ever since this game Black has shifted to 1 7 . 'th8 and 1 7 . . . a5 . .••

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Black's posltlon is rather gloomy. Karsten finds a way to resist. 46 J�xc5! 47J�g8t cj;>xg8 48.e8=Y;Yt cj;>g7 49.Y;Yxh5 gd5t 50.cj;>c2 gd4 5 1 .Y;Yg4 cj;>f7 52.Y;Yc8 a5 53.Y;Yc7t cj;>e6 54.Y;Yxa5 cj;>e7 White tried for nearly fifty moves, but Karsten held the position. •.

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At first I thought your opponent was careless and woke up too late, which can easily happen. However when I spent a little time on it, I got the impression the fortress may have been good enough. What do think about it? "I have not analysed the Kritz game in detail yet. During the game I saw no way to break it."

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l sJH1! This is a strong novelty. It may not kill off the variation entirely, but it is certainly an unpleasant surprise to contend with over the board. Though Zap Rybka played a blitz game with Croenne Rybka, strong humans do not go for this position. Karsten even improved on a world championship game! In Short - Kasparov, London ( 1 4) 1 993, the challenger played 1 B . .tc3 and drew. l S ... exd4 Mter 1 B . . . WI'g6 1 9.�af1 White takes the f7pawn and has some advantage. 19.�e7

is not fully convincing for White) 22 . . . �xeB 23.�xd7 .tc6 24.�d6! .tb7 25 .�b6 �e7 (25 . . . .te4 26.�e l ) 26.�xb7 �xb7 27 . .td5 White has decent winning chances. 2 1 .hf7t �hS 22J�el �f6 23.g4!

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1 9 ...�xe7? Acs fails to find the best defence. Peter Wells' suggestion 1 9 . . . ttJf6 looks more promising. If one wants to try the line with Black, one should play this move. 20 .WI'xb7 Wl'e3 2 1 .WI'f3! Wl'xf3! Peter showed the right follow-up. (2 1 . . .�adB 22.WI'xe3 dxe3 23.�e2 �xd6 24.�xe3 White's bishop is stronger than Black's knight. White is going to play a4 soon.) 22.�xf3 �adB Now White will have to accept an isolated pawn in order to regain the pawn. The position is balanced. 20.dxe7 �UeS 20 . . . �fcB 2 1 .�xf7 @hB 22.eB=WI't (22 . .te6 .tc6 23.�af1 h6 24.� 1 f4 �gB 2 5 .�xd4 ttJf6

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This strong thrust gives Black no time to get organized. The aim is to divert the f6-knight. It is likely that this was still home preparation. 23 ....id5? Also unsatisfactory is 23 . . . h6 24.h4! �ecB 25 .�f4 .tc6 26.g5 and regardless of the extra piece, the e7 -pawn is rather unpleasant to live with. 23 . . . �ecB ! Wells again found Black's best move. 24.g5 (24 . .te6 �c7 25 . .tf7) 24 . . . ttJe4 25 .�fe2 ttJd6 White probably has to settle for the equal ending after winning the knight with the promotion. 24.heS gxeS 25.g5 �d7 26.gf4 Black's pieces are not organized - it will take too much energy to remove the e7-pawn. 26 ... �gS 27.gxd4 �b6 2S.ge5 According to Ftacnik 2B.b3 was even better, but I think it is a matter of taste. Karsten's move is also very strong. 2S ... .if7 29.gdS �cS 30.c3 g6 3 1 .�fl! Utilizing the king effectively is extremely important in endgames. 3 1 . .. �g7 32.ge2! This is a nice waiting move. It makes the

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opponent guess what is coming next. 32 ... �a7 Black is almost in zugzwang. 33J�e6 Karsten forces matters and is happy with the ensuing ending. I think he played the whole game very well, and what he plays here is not bad at all. Nevertheless, this is more or less the only time during the game when I preferred an alternative. I think 33.b3!? was even stronger. Karpov almost always started to improve his pieces before he launched his play during his endgames. To improve the position by activating the king was even stronger. 33 . . . lLJc6 34J!d7 a5 3 5 Jk7 �d5 36J�e3 and White threatens c4. 33 ...he6 34J�xeS c;t>f7 35.gaS �cS

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36.gxa6 White has some material advantage, but has no passed pawn yet. The win is still far from a foregone conclusion. 36 ... c;t>xe7 37.c;t>e3 �d6 3S.ga7t .id7 39. c;t>f4 �f7 40.b3 h6? Peter is impatient; he allows a beautiful simplification. Black should have just waited with 40 . . . lLJdS. Then 4 1 .h4 @d6 42.a4 bxa4 43 .bxa4 lLJc6 44J�aS and White is probably winning, as Black has problems guarding the a-pawn. In addition White can always switch his attention to the kingside pawns.

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4 1 .gxd7t!! He sacrifices the exchange to reach an ending with three pawns versus a piece. It is important that he will be able to obtain passed pawns on both of the rooks' files: a dream scenario when playing against a knight. 4 1 . .. c;t>xd7 42.gxh6 �xh6 Black is forced to allow a king invasion on one side or the other. 42 . . . @e7 43.h7 @f6 44.a4 bxa4 45.bxa4 @g7 46.a5 lLJdS 47.a6 lLJc6 4S.@e4 White's king decides the outcome of the game on the queens ide. 43. c;t>g5 �f5 44. c;t>xgG �e7t Peter goes after the c-pawn. After 44 . . . lLJh4t Grandmaster Hecht shows how White wins if Black just waits: 45 .@f6 lLJf3 46.h3 @d6 47.@f5 @d5 4S.a4 bxa4 49.bxa4 @c4 50.@g4 lLJd2 5 1 .h4 lLJe4 52.h5 lLJxc3 53.h6 lLJd5 54.@g5 +45. c;t>f7 �d5 46.h4! Keeping the pawn with 46.c4 would spoil the win. 46 . . . bxc4 (46 . . . lLJc7? 47.cxb5 lLJxb5 4S.h4 wins for White) 47.bxc4 lLJb6 4S.c5 lLJa4 Black holds, as his knight will make it back to the kingside in time. 46 ... �xc3 47.h5 �e4 4S.c;t>gG White has to prevent Black from sacrificing the knight for the h-pawn. After 4S .h6? lLJg5t 49.@g6 lLJe6 the knight stops the pawn. 4S ... �c5

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48 . . . �e7 49.h6 tDf6 50.a4! bxa4 5 1 .bxa4 tDd7 52.a5 White wins.

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49.�f6!! This is a nice move, especially as Karsten had to foresee it several moves in advance. The king may yet go to the queens ide - it is an amazing possibility. 49 ... tLle6 After 49 . . . tDe4t 50.�e5! tDg5 5 1 .�d5 ! �e7 (5 1 . . .�c7 52.�c5 tDf7 53.�xb5) 52.�c5 �f6 53.�xb5 Black cannot stop the pawns. 50.�e5! �e7 5 1 .h6 Not 5 1 .�d5 ? ? tDf4t. 51 ... �f7

queenside pawns and, as Black's king is miles away, he wins. The rest is trivial. 52. �d5? tDf4 t 53.�c5 tDd3t 54.�xb5 tD c 1 Black survives as he takes a queens ide pawn. Technically it was also possible to win with 52.�d6 The variations are not so trivial, but we will follow the analysis of GM Hecht who demonstrated the win. 52 . . . tDf4 52 . . . tDd4 53.�c5 tDe2 54.a3 tD c 1 5 5 .b4 and White wins. 53.a3! tDd3 53 . . . tDe2 54.�c5 tDc3 5 5 . �b4 tDb l Now the knight is too far away to stop the a-pawn. 56.a4 bxa4 57.bxa4 tDd2 5 8 .a5 tDf3 If Black had one extra move then . . . tDd4 would hold. (58 . . . tDe4 59.a6) 59.a6 tDd4 (59 . . . tDe5 60.�b5) 60.�c5 and wins. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 a

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54.h7!! Hecht was Karsten's predecessor as the endgame expert in Germany. This amazing finesse shows his skill. 54 . . . �g7 5 5 . �c6 b4 56.a4 tD c 1 57.a5 tDxb3 5 8 . h8 =Wt! White could also begin by pushing the a-pawn, but at some point over the next few moves he will need to play this move in order to draw the enemy king to a worse position. 58 . . . �xh8 59.a6 tDd4t 60.�b6 b3 6 1 .a7 White wins, as he will promote with check. 52 tLld8 53.�d6 �g6 54.�c5 �xh6 •..

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Did you realize that in some variations you score extremely well, in some below par? "Yes. This probably also has to do with my styI e. " You are a 1. e4player; have you thought ofplaying 1 . d4 as well? "Not really and I have played 1 .d4 only very rarely. I consider that switching over to 1 .d4 would be too radical. I think that 1 .e4 fits better my style." a

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55.<j;>xb5 Black's king is too far away, so the rest is trivial. 55 ... <j;>g6 56.a4 <j;>f6 57.a5 <j;>e6 58.a6 <j;>d7 59.a7 tLle6 60.<j;>b6 1-0 A very well played game! Are you making a living out ofchess? "Yes, in part. On the one hand, I have worked at Hamburg University as a mathematician for three years and since 2006 I have worked part-time for a Hamburg lawyer. On the other hand, I have coached juniors, written books and articles and made DVDs and videos for Chess Base."

I did not mean to change, but to pick it up as well. I think that in 1 . d4 there are also some lines which suit you. Then it would be much harder for opponents to escape from yourfavourite lines? What do you think? " It would have definitely been better to learn 1 .d4 as well - especially as flexibility in the opening is very important nowadays, due to excessive computer-aided preparation. But if having only one starting move, I think 1 .e4 is better for me as it fits my style more. I think that I will stick to it and only rarely choose another first move in special situations." Let me show a well-played game. I think it illustrates his style very well.

Can Arduman Karsten Miiler -

Rethymnon 2003

Many openings you play rather positionally, but a small proportion, in contrast, you play really sharply? What is the explanation for this? "In general I like to attack and to play sharply, but of course I had to broaden my approach here and become more well-rounded as a pI ayer. " Also while you play main lines in most cases, how come you never enter the Ruy Lopez with White? "This is a very good question, especially as I have told many of my students to play the Ruy Lopez. Maybe I should start to play it myself some day."

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17 ...�aS Black wants to make sure the tension stays in the game and preserves the c3-knight. 1 8J:�c2 White would do better to exchange a pair of knights. I B .tLle2 seems to me the simplest solution, in order to get rid of Black's pressure on the queens ide. I B . . . tLl fe4 1 9.tLlxc3 tLlxc3 20.tLld4 �c7 2 1 .�c2 (alternatively there is 2 1 .a4 �fcB 22.�c2 tLle4 23.�xc7 W1xc7 - 23 . . . �xc7 24.W1bS! - 24.f3 and White has fully equalized) 2 l . . .�fcB 22.�ac l (22.a4) White intends to meet 22 . . . tLlxa2?! with 23.W1fS ! and White gets two rooks for the queen. 1 8 .. J:�c7 After I B . . . tLlfe4 1 9.tLle2 tLlxe2t 20.W1xe2 �c3 2 1 .tLld4 Black probably cannot achieve much with his domination on the c-file, since all the important entry points are covered. 19.h3 If 1 9.tLle2 �fcB 20.tLlxc3 �xc3 2 1 .�ac l White holds. 1 9 .. J:Uc8 20.�fS?! White hopes to get play on the kingside. 20 ...�a6! He makes sure the queen cannot return to the centre. 2 V�hl With 2 1 .a4!? White protects the b3-pawn very securely. 2 1 . .. bS! Karsten improves his queenside during the next couple of moves. 22.tLleS b4 23.tLld3 �b6 24.�f4 as 2S.tLlfS �a6 26.tLleS 26.W1g5 is safely met by 26 . . . g6. 26 ... g6 This simple move brings White's play on the kingside to a halt. 27.tLld4 tLlfe4 Provoking a weakness. 28.8

After 2B.tLlef3 a4 29.bxa4 W1xa4 Black has the upper hand on the queenside. 28 ... tLlfG 29.a3? For a long time White has paid no attention to the queenside. Now he chooses a very unfortunate moment to ease the pressure there.

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29 ... tLlhS!! This is a nice zwischenzug. Arduman was probably counting on 29 . . . bxa3 30.tLlg4! (30.�xa3 ? tLlhS; 30.g4 a2) 30 . . . tLlhS 3 1 .W1eS f6 32.W1e6t W1xe6 33.tLlxe6 �e7 34.tLld4 and White gets away with it. 30.�h4 If 30 .W1h2 bxa3 3 1 .g4 tLlg7 32.tLlc4 dxc4 33.�xc3 tLle6. 30 ... bxa3 3 1 J:ha3 Allowing the pawn to reach a2 was dreadful as well. 3 1 .tLlc4 dxc4 32.�xc3 cxb3!! 33.�xc7 b2 and Black promotes to a queen in no time. 3 1 . ..�f1 t! 32.�h2 tLle2! This is a highly unusual way to checkmate on the back rank. 33J:�xe2 gel 34.�xhS White sacrifices the queen to avoid checkmate, or should I say to postpone it. 34 ... gxhS 3S.�g3 fG 36.tLld3 gdl 37.tLlf4

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9.VlYa VlYc7

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37 ... h4t! Black has such a material advantage he would win anyway, but Karsten finds a neat tactical solution. 38.�g4 The pawn is poisoned, as seen after 38.@xh4 �xd4! 39.exd4 �c 1 . 38 ... h5t! 39.�f5 �xd4 40.exd4 VlYb l t 41 .�e4 4 1 .@xf6 �f8t soon leads to mate. 41. .. dxe4 42.fxe4 �e8 0-1 I like this game because of the somewhat original play on the c-file and the queenside and because of the sharp tactical vision that came into play at the critical moments. I think the game shows he is a true attacking player and not only an endgame specialist.

What opening novelty ofyours do you consider the best ofKarsten Muller? " 1 0.e5!? in the Sozin variation of the Najdorf from Muller vs Wahls, German Championship, Gladenbach 2007."

Karsten MUller - Matthias Wahls German Championship, Gladenbach 1 997

l .e4 c5 2.�a d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.�xd4 �f6 5.�c3 a6 6 ..ic4 e6 7 ..ib3 b5 8 ..ig5 .ie7

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10.e5! Karsten's big novelty has been popular ever since. However, long castling remains a common move as well. 10 ....ib7 1 0 . . . dxe5 I l .ttJdxb5 axb5 1 2.�xa8 0-0 is still an option tried by some players. It achieves reasonable results. l 1 .exd6 .ixd6 12.VlYe3! 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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This comes naturally. However assessing it beforehand is not easy, as Black has no weakness in his pawn chain. It is just that he is underdeveloped, including the king. 12 ....ic5 This move remains the most popular. Karsten

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has had two other games with this line: 1 2 . . . h6 1 3.�xf6 �f4 1 4.ttJxe6 fxe6 1 S JWxe6t �fS 1 6J:�d l 1 -0, MUller - Trisic, Hamburg 1 999. 12 ... �e7 1 3 .0-0-0 0-0 1 4.�xe6 fxe6 I S .ttJxe6 �c6 1 6.ttJxfS �xfS 1 7.�xf6 �xf6 I S .ttJdS �xdS 1 9.!hdS ttJc6 20.�e4 ttJb4 2 1 .a3 �eS This game ended in a draw, Muller - Woelder, Heringsdorf 2000. 13.0-0-0 tlbd7 As Wahls said later on, this was a pragmatic decision. The line beginning with 1 3 . . . ttJc6!? is still played at high levels. It looks hard for White to obtain an advantage. 1 4.�xf6 gxf6 I S .ttJe4 �xd4 1 6.�xd4 ttJxd4 1 7.ttJxf6t �fS I S .�xd4 �dS 1 9.�h4 h6 20.c3 �eS 2 1 .ttJh7t �eS 22.ttJf6t Kogan Sutovsky, Ashdod 2006, ended in a repetition. Later Karjakin won a game in this line, where White went to dS with the knight instead of e4. However, this inspired Ivanchuk to surprise him in a rapid game with: 1 4.�xe6t!! fxe6 I S .ttJxe6 �eS ( 1 S ... �e7! 1 6.�he l �xe6 1 7.�xe6t ttJe7 is the critical test. No one seems to think that White is okay here, and Black has 2/2 so far.) 1 6.ttJxg7t �fS 1 7.ttJe6t �f7 I S .�he l �xe l ? (after something like I S . . . �xgst Black would still be in the game) 1 9.ttJxcS t �g6 20.�xe l �xgS 2 1 .ttJxb7 White eventually won the game, but the ball remains in White's court.

14.,be6! 0-0 1 4 . . . fxe6? I S .�xe6t �fS ( 1 S . . . �e7 1 6.ttJfS; I S ... �dS 1 6.�xf6t gxf6 1 7.ttJdxbS) 1 6.�xf6t ( 1 6.�xf6? �f4t) 1 6 . . . gxf6 1 7.ttJe6t �e7 I S .ttJxc7 White went on to win in Naiditsch - GrUnfeld, Corsica (Rapid) 2004. 15.�b3 gae8 1 6.Y«h3 Wahls has obtained some compensation for the pawn, yet White's chances should be better. Unfortunately Karsten later went wrong and lost. Nevertheless, with this game the Muller variation was born. It was a significant contribution to opening theory. Which is the most memorable endgame you played? "A difficult question. One candidate is MUller - Heinemann, Altenkirchen 1 999."

Karsten Miiler - Thies Heinemann German Championship, Altenkirchen 1 999

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In various Sicilians, Black often sacrifices a pawn for domination of the dark squares. On this occasion it has not been a total success, as the weak e6-pawn is a bigger problem for Black than it may appear at first sight. 17.gd3 ge8 1 7 . . . b4 does not solve Black's problem after I S .fxe6! fxe6 ( 1 S . . . bxc3 ? 1 9.e7) 1 9.ttJa4.

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I S.33! .tb7 1 9.fxe6 fxe6 It looks like White will have difficulties improving his position.

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20J!f5!! This is flashy no doubt, but useful as well as it disturbs Black's best piece. 20 ....tc7 2 1 J!d7 .tb6t 22.f1 There can be such a fine line between a good and bad king when there are so many pieces on the board. Karsten is not worried. 22 ... .tcS 23J!d3 g6 24.�ff3 g7 I would prefer 24 . . . El:a7 to improve the rook.

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The knight can move now! 2S ... aS

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29.�dl Mter several sweet little improving moves, he moves the rook away from the diagonal. With 29.@f2!? he could move out of range as well. 29 ... b4 Black hopes to open the position and obtain play against the b-pawn. Had he been content to wait and see with 29 . . . a4, White would still be able to improve his pieces. 30.i.a2 El:d7 3 1 .ttJd3 i.b7 (3 1 . . .i.c7 32.@e2) 32.@e2 i.h2 33.ttJc5 . 30.axb4 axb4 3 1 .cxb4 hb2 32.bS! On b5 the pawn can safely be protected. 32 ....teS

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33.tLld3!! In this endgame Karsten's play reminds me of that of Karpov. He keeps improving slowly and very effectively. What makes the knight move attractive is that although the knight already stands well, there is an even better square. 33 ....id6 34.tLln! .ic5 34 . . . !e7 35 .Ek3 35.tLlg4! .id7? 3 5 . . J!ee7 waiting passively gave better chances. However, White can improve on his pieces, as in the following line, which is not forced. 36.lLle5 �eb7 37.!c4 �c7 38.@e2 �a4 39.�c3 !e7 40.lLlc6 !b7 4 1 .�dc 1 !xc6 42.!d3 White has decent winning chances.

trying to wear out his opponent, but now he initiates a great idea. 48 ....ia7 49.�d5 �e7 50.�d6 �b7 5 1 .�a6 .id4 52.�d6 .ia7

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36J3xd7t! It looks like Karsten enjoys sacrificing the exchange on d7. He used the same idea in the Acs game. 36 .. J�xd7 37.tLlf6 �de7 38.tLlxe8t �xe8 39.�c3! �f8t 40. ci!;> e2 .id4 41 .�c7t �f7 42.�c6 The b-pawn has a special characteristic in opposite-coloured bishop endgames. The king sometimes has no room to come around from behind. Here a bishop on b6 would stop any invasion. 42 �b7 43 ..ic4 e5 44. ci!;> d3 ci!;> h6 45.�d6 .in 46.�d5 �e7 47.�d8 �b7 48. ci!;> e2! Over the past few moves Karsten was just . . .

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53.g3!! White starts an attack on the kingside. 53 ... ci!;> g5 Black simply did not understand White's intentions. Actually this move helps White carry out his plan. Better was 53 . . . @g7 54.@f3 h5!? - but then again, how many players would be happy to fix their pawns on the same colour as the opponent's bishop? 54. ci!;> f3 ci!;> h6 55.h4 ci!;> h5 56. ci!;> g2! Another Karpovian move. In this game Karsten really does play like the endgame virtuoso. 56 ... .ic5 57.�c6 .id4 58. ci!;> h3! ci!;> h6 59.g4! ci!;> g7 60.g5! Slowly pushing Black back. 60 ....ie3 Maybe Black should have made some room for the king with 60 . . . h5!?, although this would leave the g6-pawn as a target. 6 1 ..id5! Taking the tactical opportunity to improve the bishop. 6 1 . .. �b8 If 6 1 . . .�xb5 62.�c7t @f8 63.�f7t @e8

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64Jhh7 and White wins. If Black tries 6 1 . . .h6 there follows 62.h5! and the breakthrough wins. Finally, after 6 1 . . .h5 White wins a second pawn, and the game, after 62 Jhg6t �xg6 63 .i.xb7. 62J!c7t h8 63.�c6! �f8 64.�e7 �d4 6S.�dS �f3t 66.g2 �f2t 67.g3 I was surprised when I studied the endgames of the 1 2th World Champion, as I had been unaware of how often he checkmated his opponents in endgames. His mating attacks were not usually in the grand style of Tal or Kasparov. But conducting a mating attack with very few pieces is an art in itself. Slowly, and with extreme effectiveness, he often caught the king. When I told grandmaster Razuvaev, who worked with Karpov for many years, what I had noticed, he confirmed it was true. 67 ... h6 68.gxh6 White forces his pawn through to b7. Nevertheless it was possible to crown his previous play with a lovely breakthrough leading to checkmate: 68.h5! i.c5 69.�d7 gxh5 70.g6 h4t 7 1 .�xh4 68 ... �f4 69.�e6 h7 70.b6 �f8 71 .b7 �a7

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72.hS! Equally good was 72.Ek6! �xh6 73 .h5! @xh5 74Jk8 winning.

72 ... gxhS 73.h4 �f1 74.xhS �gl 7S.�e7t h8 76.�xeS 1-0 I take my hat off to you. It is a superbly played endgame at the highest level. "Thanks for the compliment." Here is another of his best endgames.

Karsten MUller - Georg Gross Germany 1 99 1

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29.g3! White is ready to return his extra pawn and move to an endgame with a positional advantage. 29 ... ttlxb4 Black had better take the pawn now, otherwise he may not get another chance. 30.VBxc6 ttlxc6 3 1 .f4 �Sg7 32.�cdl hS Exchanging the knight with 32 . . . ltJe7 and having a double rook ending offered little amusement either, but maybe that was the better choice. 33.�f2 ltJf5 34.ltJxf5 exf5 Black's rooks are out of play. Still, in my opinion it was a better option than the game continuation. 33. f2 ttle7 34.�d3 ttlg6? The knight has no function on g6. Better was 34 . . . ltJf5 ! ? The doubled pawns would not be easy to attack.

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Genius in the Background 44 . . . b5!? was interesting. 45.�hl �h8 Once again it was time to get moving on the queenside with 45 . . . b5.

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37J�dlt Th e rook not only occupies the open file, but more importantly forces Black to decide where to put his king. 37.h3 El:g8 38 .g4 (38.El:h l @e7 39.g4) 38 . . . hxg4t 39.hxg4 El:h8 40.@g3 b5 4 1 . lLl d l c5 42.lLlf2 @e7 43.lLle4 was an alternative approach. 37 'it>c8 White is better after 37 . . . @e7 38.c4 El:g8 39.c5 as well. 38.'it>e4 tile7 39.�d2 �g8 40.a4 b6 41 .�dl �g7? Black wants to stop h2-h3 by maintaining the attack on the g3-pawn, but the rook is probably better off where it was. It was also possible to offer an exchange with 4 1 . . . El:d8!? Endgames can be very subtle. Take the present example: usually the defender tends to prefer rook endings to knight endings, but in this instance the knight ending offers better hopes of salvation for Black. The reason is that with the rooks off the board Black can start pushing his pawns on the queenside. 42.El:xd8t @xd8 Black will play . . . c6! followed by either . . . b5 or . . . lLld5. This should enable him to hold the game, despite his less active king. 42.�gl ! �g8 43.h3 'it>b7 44.g4 'it>c6 Black improves the king, but with these tempos he will miss out in the race. ..•

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46.g5! Although White has no passed pawn, his pawns are much closer to promotion than Black's. 46 ... �d8 47.�h2! Covering the entry square on d2. 47 ... 'it>c5 48.�fl! �d7? It is quite intriguing that the drawing margin in chess is often wider than people imagine. In this endgame White has played well while Black has made some second-best moves - and yet he could save the game with 48 . . . a5! . Play might continue: 49.f5 exf5 t 50.lLlxf5 lLld5 5 1 .El:f3 @c4 52.lLle3t lLlxe3 53.El:xe3 b5! 54.axb5 (54.g6? fxg6 5 5 .e6 bxa4) 54 . . . a4 Black does not look slower at all. Unfortunately for Gross, after the move played his problems really do become very severe. 49.£5 exf5t 50.tilxf5 tild5 5 1 .�f3 'it>c4 52.tile3t tilxe3 53.�xe3 a5? Black enters the race unprepared, but he had no good alternative. For instance: 53 . . . El:e7 54.@f5 El:e6 5 5 .El:g3! El:g6 56.El:g l !! White intends to invade to d7. 56 . . . b5 57.axb5 axb5 5 8 . El:d l White wins.

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54.g6! Black was sleeping a bit in this game, but now this wakes him up! 54 ... fxg6 55.e6 White is so far ahead in the race, it makes the win easy. 55 .. J�d8 56.�e5 b5 57.axb5 a4 58.e7 ge8 59.�e6 a3 60.�d7 a2 6 1 .ge1 ga8 62.e8=W1 gxe8 63. �xe8 �xb5 64.gal �c4 65.gxa2 �xc3 66.gg2 c5 67.gxg6 1-0 Which other endgames from your career do you recommend? "The Breutigam one."

Mter 50.tDa5 g5 ! he finds that his knights are too far from the h-file. 5 1 .hxg5 h4 52.tDxc6 tDc7 53.tDd4t @e5 54.tDc6t! The best chance, but it is still not enough. 54 . . . @e6 5 5 .tDd4t @f7 56.tDxf5 h3 57'tDd6t (57.tDg3 h2) 57 . . . @g6 5 8 .tDxe4 h2 59.tDg3 !Zh3 60.tDh l !Za3 Black wins. 50 ... gxa8 5 1 .lLlxa8 g5! Black must not delay. The resultant complications are breathtaking.

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I was thinking of selecting it. Because of your suggestion I analysed it. I think even you will be surprised with what Ifound.

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Martin Breutigam - Karsten MUller

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An extremely double-edged endgame has occurred. White's a-pawn will shortly cost Black his rook, thus leaving White a piece up. However, Black also possesses some powerful pawns of his own. 50.a8=W1 White gains nothing from postponing this.

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52.lLld8t? Breutigam does not want to move the h-pawn, but it costs him too many pawns. Also insufficient was 52.@d2? gxh4 53.@e2 h3 54.@f1 f4. One of Black's pawns will promote. The correct continuation was: 52.hxg5 ! White probably thought that this would lose a tempo. However, we will see that White's g-pawn can become a powerful force in its own right. 52 . . . h4 53.tDd8t! 53.tDb6? tDb4t!! wins for Black, as all three white pieces are far away from the h-pawn. It is interesting to note that the natural 53 . . . h3? would allow stunning counterplay. 54.tDd8t @e7 5 5 . tDxd5 t @xd8 56.g6! @e8 57.g7 @f7 5 8 .tDe7 @xg7 59.tDxf5t @f6 60.tDg3 Would you believe it? A minute ago this knight was on the a8-square and now

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it defends the most distant square on the board, the h I -square. They say that knights are worse than bishops at covering long distances, but every rule has its exceptions . . . 5 3 . . . @e7 53 . . . @d7! ? Going away from the g-pawn leads to an instructive draw. 54.tDb6t @xdB 5 5 . tDxd5 h3 56.g6 @eB 57.g7 @f7 5 B .tDe7 @xg7 59.tDxf5t @f6 60.tDg3 @e5 6 1 .@d2 @f4 The position is equal. 54.tDxc6t 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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Black now faces a difficult decision: should his king retreat to fB or eB? a) 54 . . . @fB The problem with this is that it allows an annoying knight check on e6. 5 5 .tDd4 f4 Not 5 5 . . . h3? 56.tDxf5 . 8 7 6

simply a symbolic attempt, it actually wins the game for White. 56 . . . h3 57.tDxd5 !! h2 5 B .tDe6t 5 B .c6 is slightly less convincing, although it may still be enough to win. 5 B . . . h I ='IW 59.c7 'lWh3 60.tDxf4 'lWcB (60 . . . 'lWd7 6 1 .tDfe6t @e7 62.@d2 and White has decent winning chances) 6 1 .tDfe6t (6 1 .tDde6t @e7 62.g6) 6 1 . . .@e7 62.g6 'lWa6 63 .@b3 Despite being a queen up, Black is probably lost. 5B . . . @f7 59.g6t @xe6 59 . . . @xg6 60.tDdxf4t @f7 6 1 .c6 @e7 62.c7 @d7 63.tDd5 h I ='IW 64.tDfBt (64.tDb6t) 64 . . . @cB 65.tDg6 White wins. 60.tDxf4t @e5 60 . . . @f6 6 1 .tDh5t wins for White. 6 1 .g7 @xf4 62.gB='IW h l ='IW 63.c6 White wins the queen ending. b) 54 . . . @eB! They say when an opponent has two passed pawns, your king should be right in between them. It looks to be losing but Black probably can survive - unless he has a heart attack from what he has to go through. Now White has two candidate moves. b I ) 5 5 .tDd4 With a further division: b I I ) 55 . . . tDe7 56.g6! h3 57.tDc7t @d7 5B.g7 h2 5B . . . e3 59.tDd5 exf2 60.tDxe7 fl ='IW 6 1 . gB ='IW 'lWg2t (6 1 . . .@xe7 62.'lWg7t @eB 63.'lWe5t @f7 64.tDxf5! wins for White) 62.'lWxg2 hxg2 63.tDf3 @xe7 64.@c3 White wins.

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56.tDb6! This is j ust magic. The aB-knight fights against the passed h-pawn. And it is not

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59.lDcb5!! Astounding! Black is about to promote a queen in one move and White just makes a knight move far away from the passed pawn. 59 . . . h l =� 60.c6t lDxc6 60 . . . @c8 6 1 .lDxf5 wins for White. 6 1 .g8 =� White's extra knight is enough to win. b 1 2) 55 .. .f4 56.g6 Here is another beautiful variation: 56.lDb6 lDc7 57.lDfS h3 5 8 .g6 h2 59.g7 @f7 60.lDd7 h l =� 6 1 .lDe5t @g8

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62.lDg4! What a position! White has barely a knight for the queen and yet he holds on for a draw. 56 . . . h3 57.c6 h2 5 8 . c7

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63.lDd8t!! @g8 64.lDc6! White wins. 59.g7 @f7 59 . . . @d7 6o.lDc6 wins for White. 6o.lDb6 6o.lDc6?? lDc8! would be embarrassing for White. 60 . . . h l =� 6 1 .g8=�t 6 1 .lDc6 �h7 62.lDxe7 e3t 63.@b3 exf2 64.g8=�t �xg8 6 5 .lDxg8 f1 =� The queen will take one of the knights and draw. 6 1 . . .@xg8 62.lDc6 e3 63. lDxe7t @f7 64.c8=� �e4t Black holds. b2) 5 5 .lDb6! h3 56.lDxd5 h2 57.lDce7! h l =�

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58 . . . lDe7! Black has to sacrifice under certain conditions. 58 . . . lDxc7? 59.lDxc7t @f8 60.lDce6t @e7 6 1 .g7 @f7 62.lDf5 h l =�

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5 8 . c6! This is a remarkable position. Despite the extra queen, it is Black who is fighting to draw. 5 8 . . . �f1 59.c7 �xf2t 60.@b3! 60.@c3 �c5t 60 . . . �g3t

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6 1 .@c4! This keeps the best winning chances alive. 6 1 .@b4 �d6t! The queen must send the king one square further away. (6 1 . . .�xc7?? is premature. 62.lLlxc7t @xe7 63.lLld5t! wins.) 62.@b5 �xc7! The simplest. 63.lLlxc7t @xe7 64.@c4 @f7 65.@d4 @g6 66.lLle6 f4! 67.@xe4 f3 68.@xf3 @f5 Black survives. 6 1 . . .�d3t 6 1 . . .�xc7t 62.lLlxc7t @xe7 63.lLld5t and White wins. 62.@c5 �a3t 63.@b6 �b3t 64.@c6 �c4t 65 .@b7 �b3t 65 . . . �xc7t 66.@xc7 wins for White. 66.lLlb6 @xe7 67.c8=�

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52 cj;>d7 53.�b6t �xb6 54.cxb6 gxh4 The black pawns are too strong. 55.�e6 cj;>cS 56.�g5 After 56.lLlf4 @b7 57.@c3 (57.lLlxh5 h3 5 8 .lLlg3 h2 59.f4 exf3 and Black has too many pawns) 57 . . . c5 5 8 .@c4 @xb6 59.lLlh3 @c6 60.lLlf4 @d6 6 1 .lLlh3 @e5 62.@xc5 f4 63 .@c4 f3 Black wins. 56 cj;>b7 57. cj;>d2 cj;>xb6 5S. cj;>e3 •••

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67 . . . �e6 Black can probably hold this position with precise defence. Let's now return to the game. Fortunately for Karsten, the move played by his opponent does not pose anywhere near as many problems as the above analysis!

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5S c5! The spare queens ide pawn seals White's fate. 59.�h3 cj;>b5 60.cj;>f4 c4 6 1 .�gl c3 0-1 White resigned, as he cannot handle Black's multitude of pawns. •••

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Going through your endgames Igot the impression that you are at your best when it comes to saving worse positions? Do you agree with this opinion? "Yes, especially in rook endgames."

However it turns out that he can draw using a most surprising knight manoeuvre. 52.:§:c7!

John Emms - Karsten Miiler Bundesliga 200 1

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White is two pawns up, yet Karsten is very active. An important aspect of this game was that his team was leading 3Y2-2Y2. His opponent needed to win to take a point for the team. Let's see how the game develops. 50J:�d7t c4!? Karsten activates his king, but at the same time his grip on White's d-pawn becomes weaker. 50 . . . mc6 5 1 .:§:d8! (5 1 .:§:g7 ltJf5 52Jhg6t md5 53.:§:e6 mxd4 54.:§:e4 t md3 and Black is so active, he is likely to draw despite the two pawn deficit) 5 1 . . . ltJf5 52.d5t mb7 53.:§:e8 White has decent winning chances, yet it is far from over. 5 1 .d5 :§:e2t It is interesting that he rejected the consistent: 5 1 . . .md3! Presumably he did not believe in Black's chances of weaving a mating net, and thought that his king would be too far from the pawn.

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This is a difficult move to find. The aim is to play ltJ e4, to have a check on c3; also it clears the d-file for the pawn. Now Black has two main tries. a) 5 2 . . . ltJ f5 This looks natural, but it is not a complete solution to Black's problems. 5 3 . ltJ e4 :§:b l t After 5 3 . . . ltJxh4 54.:§:c3t md4 5 5 .d6 ltJxf3t 56.:§:xf3 mxe4 5 7.d7 :§:b8 (57 . . . :§:b l t 5 8 .md2) 5 8 .:§:f2 :§:d8 5 9.:§:d2 White wins by pushing the a-pawn: 59 . . . g5 60.a5 etc. However, it was quite possible to try 53 . . . me3 54.md l (54.:§:c3t md4) 54 . . . :§:a2 5 5 . ltJ c3 . White has some winning chances, but Black is far from doomed. 54.mf2 :§:b2t 5 5 .m g l :§:b l t! Black must avoid 5 5 ... ltJxh4? 56.:§:c3t md4 57.d6 :§:b8 (57 . . . ltJxf3t 5 8 .:§:xf3 mxe4 59.d7 :§:b8 60.:§:f1 and White wins) 5 8 .m f2 ltJxf3 5 9 . mxf3 :§:f8 t 60.me2 mxe4 6 1 .d7 :§:d8 62.:§:d3! White is faster. 62 . . . h4 63.:§:d l ! g5 (63 . . . h3 64.mf2) 64 .a5 g4 6 5 . a6 g3 66.a7 h3 67.:§:c l ! h2 68.:§:c8 White wins as he promotes with check. 56.mh2 :§:b2t 5 7.mh3 ltJ e3 5 8 .:§:c l ltJxd5

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59.Wg3 It is difficult to say whether White's advantage is enough to win. He can certainly press for a long time though . . . b) 5 2 . . . tDh l !!

Compared with the above variations, the white king now gets the opportunity to flee to the queenside. 52 d3 53. c1 After 53 . .1:!c7 .1:!d2t (53 . . . .1:!h2 54. Wc l .1:!xh4 5 5 .Wb2; 53 . . . .1:!a2 54.d6) 54.Wc l tDe2t 5 5 .Wb l We3 56.a5 .1:!d l t 57. W b2 .1:!xd5 5 8 . a6 .1:!b5t 59.Wc2 .1:!a5 60.a7 tDd4t 6 1 .Wb2 .1:!a6 Black is likely to hold. 53 J�a2 54.b l �xa4 55.d6 tLle2 If 5 5 . . . .1:!b4t 56.Wa2 tDf5 57 . .1:!d8 . 56.tLle4? Allowing Black to swap the knights lets Black off the hook. Correct was: 56 . .1:!b7! .1:!d4 (56 . . . tDc3t 57.Wb2 .1:!a2t 58.Wb3 .1:!al 59.d7) 57.d7 �c3t 58.Wcl �e2t 59.Wb2 �f4 60.�f7 �e6 6 1 ..1:!b8 Wd2 62.�e5 .1:!d5 63 .f4 We3 64 . .1:!e8 White wins. •••

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This is a fabulous move. Its advantage, compared to 52 . . . tDf5 , is that it stops 53.tDe4. 53.Wfl 53.tDe4?? .1:!b l t forces mate. Alternatively, after 53 . .1:!c l tDg3 54 . .1:!c5 tDf5 ! ( 5 4 . . . tDh l ?! 5 5 . .1:!b5!) 5 5 .tD e4 Wd4 56 . .1:!c l tDxh4 Black is still very much alive and kicking. 53 . . . tDg3t 54.Wg I tDe2t 5 5 .Wf2 tDf4t 56.Wg3 tDe2t The game ends in a perpetual. 52.dl

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56 tLlc3t! Simplifying to a rook ending saves Black. 57.tLlxc3 xc3 58.�c7t After 58 . .1:!d8 .1:!d4 59.d7 Wd3 60.Wb2 .1:!d6 6 1 .Wb3 Wd4 the position is a draw. 58 b3 59.�b7t 59 . .1:!e7 W c3 (59 . . . .1:!d4 60 . .1:!e3t) 60 . .1:!e8 (60.d7 .1:!d4 6 1 .Wc l .1:!d6) 60 . . . .1:!d4 Black gets away. 59 c3 60.�c7t b3 6 1 .d7 �d4 62.c1 �d6 63.f4 �d5 64.�b7t c3 65.�c7t b3 66.�c6 �xd7 67.�xg6 �f7 68.�g5 �xf4 •••

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69J�xh5 e3 70J�e5t b4 71 J�e8 gxh4 72.d2 ¥2-¥2

Despite the modern tools that an annotator has nowadays, sometimes one can't be certain about the evaluation ofa certain position. When he says it wins or it is a draw, he must take some risk of being wrong. How brave are you in this sense? "When the engine and 1 agree, then 1 take the risk." Do you have any particular endgame that you analysed for the public that gave you special satisfaction? "I especially like the game Shirov - Lautier, Munich 1 993, where 1 was Alexei's second and we analysed the adjourned position together. Later 1 made a more detailed investigation together with German chess trainer and analyst FM Claus Dieter Meyer." It is included in Shirov's Fire on Board, Endgame Corner 3 in the ChessCafe Archives, as well as The Magic of Chess Tactics. But here it is once again, for good measure! Karsten's analysis and comments are given in italics.

6 1 g8? Lautier sealed the move we had expected. Their team thought this move would be a draw as well. In fact, Black has two safe ways to draw: 6 1 . . .!!h3! Joel should have activated his out-ofplay rook immediately in order to hold the position. (6 1 . . .!!d3!? is playable as well. ) 62.!!xg7t @h8 63,cj;lg6 f4t 64.@g5 (64.@f7? !!h7!) 64 ... i.f3 (64 ... !!d3 ? loses beautifully: 65 .!!e7t !!xd4 66.cxd4 g3 67.!!xe4 g2 68 .!!e 1 f3 69.@g6 f2 70.!!e8#) 65.@xf4 i.d 1 66.!!xg4t @h7 67.!!g7t @h6 Black is worse but can hold. The punishment for his mistake is surprisingly harsh. 62. g6 .le6 .•.

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63 ..le5!! Joel missed this fantastic move, not only when he sealed the move, but also in his adjournment analysis. 63 gd3? The Frenchman goes down without putting up the best resistance. He should have been played· 63 . . . @h8! 64.i.d4! Thanks to the clever defence, White is forced to repeat the position. 64 . . . . @g8 65.!!xg7t White must play this in order to keep winning chances alive. Joel would almost •••

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certainly have concentrated on this move in his adjournment analysis. 65 . . . @f8 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 a

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66Jk7 1he bishop is under attack - but where to hide it? 66 . . . i.d5 ?! 66 ... i.e8t?! 67.@f6 !%h3 68 .i.c5t @g8 69.!%c8 1he pin wins the piece, and after a bit offight the game. 69 . . . !%h6t 70.@e7 !%h7t (70 . . . @g7 7 1 .!%xe8 f4 72.i.d4t @g6 73.@e6 @g5 t 74.@e5 !%g6 75 .!%f8 f3 76.i.f2 and White wins) 7 1 .@xe8 f4 (7 1 . . .g3 72.!%c6 f4 73.!%f6) 72.i.d4 g3 73.!%c5 ! White wins as Black's king is again in trouble. 66 . . . i.g2! is the correct move: 67.@f6 @e8 68.@e6 @d8 69.!%c5 i.b7 70.i.f6t @e8 7 1 .!%c7 !%e3t 72.i.e5 !%xe5t 73.@xe5 Atfirst C D. Meyer believed that White is winning, but the day before the book went to press he decided that it was probably drawn, so 63 . . . @h8!! would still have saved Black. The point of the bishop move is to take the e6-square away from the white king. However, it is also significant that the bishop has no pawn to defend it. 67.!%c5! This superb idea was found by Karsten after the game. The original plan was 67.@f6 @e8 68.!%c5 i.b7! 69.!%e5t @d7 70.!%e7t @c6 7 1 .!%e6t which leads to a draw.

67 . . . i.e6 67 . . . i.b7? 68.!%e5! i.c6 69 .i.c5 t @g8 70.!%e6 i.d7 7 1 .!%e7 !%d3 72J�g7t @h8 73.i.d4 The battery is lethal. 67 . . . i.f7t? 68.@f6 @e8 69.i.e5 !%g2 The rook was not only out of play but actually was a target to gain the vital tempo. 70.!%c8t @d7 7 1 .!%c7t @e8 72.!%xf7 White wins. 68.@f6 i.d7 69.!%c7 @e8 70.!%a7 @d8 70 . . .i.c6 7 1 .!%e7t @d8 (7 1 . . .@f8 72.!%c7 i.e8 73 .!%c8) 72.i.b6t @c8 73 .!%c7t @b8 74.!%xc6 should be winning for White. 7 1 .i.b6t @c8 72.!%c7t @d8 73.!%c5t @e8 74.!%e5t @f8 75 .i.c5t @g8 76.!%e7 76.!%d5 wins as well. 76 .. J�d3 77.!%g7t @h8 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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78 .i.d4! i.c6 79.!%c7 !%xd4 80.cxd4 i.e4 8 1 .@g6 f4t 82.@h6 White wins, in the manner that we will see in the game. 64.!%xg7t �h8 65.i.d4 !%xd4 After 65 . . . i.e8t 66.@h6 !%h3t 67.@g5 !%h5t 68.@f4 White wins. 66.cxd4 f4 After 66 . . . g3 67.!%h7t @g8 68.!%c7 i.e8t (68 . . . @f8 69.!%xc6 g2 70.@f6 @g8 7 1 .!%c8t @h7 72.!%c7t @h8 73 .!%g7+-) 69.@f6 f4 70.!%g7t @h8 (70 . . . @f8 7 1 .!%g5 i.c6 72.d5 f3 73 .dxc6 f2 74.c7 f1 =Wt 75 .!%f5 +-) 7 1 .!%g5 i.c6 72.d5 i.xd5 73.!%xd5 g2 74.@f7! White wins, as B. Certic pointed out in his Chess Informant analysis.

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67.ge7 .ie4t 67 . . . id5 68J:k8t ig8 69.�f8 f3 70.d5 g3 7 1 .�xf3 ixd5 72.�xg3 finishes Black, according to Lautier. 68.h6 .idS 8 7 6 5

the World Championship match Karpov vs Kasparov. At first I thought that I had found a win for White but Mihail Marin in Learn from the Legends and Mark Dvoretsky in his Endgame University 2nd Edition proved me wrong, as the resulting position of my main line from Endgame Corner 43 is amazingly drawn, as given by the six man tablebase. Instead of 66 . . . ib7? Kasparov should have played 66 . . . ih 1 !" This is probably the most analysed endgame in the history of chess. Here is some abbreviated analysis, focusing on some of the key points, to illustrate why Karsten found it so captivating.

4 3 2

Anatoly Karpov - Garry Kasparov

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69.geS! He plays on Black's problem. The bishop has no safe square. 69 ....ig8 70.dS a 71 .d6 .ie6 7 1 . . . f2 72.�f5 g3 73 .d7 g2 74.d8=Wf g l =Wf 75.Wff6t Wfg7t 76.Wfxg7# 72.geS .id7 73.ge7 f2 74.gxd7 g8 7S.gg7t f8 76.d7 1-0 I think the disappearance of the adjournment has brought down the level ofplay in endgames as players become dead tired with extended play. Do you have any idea how to raise the standard again? "I agree, but the only real remedy would probably be to increase the time limits and at the moment the trend seems to be going in the opposite direction." What discoveries surprised you most when you were writing? "I want to mention two findings especially. The first is the amazing knight vs bishop endgame, which arose in the 9th game of

World Championship (9), Moscow 1 984

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66 ....ib7? Garry played this mistake, although it is hard to blame him. The right move is the study-like: 66 . . . ih l !! Gipslis and Mikhalchishin came up with this remarkable move. It is hard to spot the difference between their move and Kasparov's move. 67.tDf5 @d5! Now one can appreciate the difference the

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bishop makes on h 1 . It stops @d3 because of the check on e4. 68.ttJg3 68.@f4!? Marin came up with this witty move; it stops . . . @c4 right now.

However, the magic of the tablebases has since revealed that Black can draw with precise play. 67.tlH5 67.d5 would not work for White as the pawn ending is drawn.

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68 . . . ie4! Black must stop the knight getting to e3 . 69.ttJd6 ic2! This gets back material at once. 70.ttJxb5 (70.ttJf5 ie4) 70 . . . @c4 7 1 .@e5 (7 1 .ttJc7 @xd4) 7 1 . . .@xb5 72.d5 ib3! Black holds the draw. 68 . . . ig2 69.@d3 69.@f2 ih3 70.ttJe2 ig4! (Marin) 7 1 .@e3 ixe2 72.@xe2 @xd4= 69 . . . if3 70.ttJf1 ie4t 7 1 .@c3 if3 72.ttJe3t @e4 73 .ttJc4 @d5 73 . . . bxc4? 74.@xc4 Three pawns like this defeat the bishop. 74.ttJb2 @c6 75.a4 bxa4 76.ttJxa4

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In this position Garry played 67 . . . ig2? and went on to lose. The following line is much more resilient. 67 c;i?d5! This prevents the fork and blocks the entry square of e5 as well. 68. c;i;>d3 c;i;>e6 •••

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This is the position that Karsten believed should result in a White win back in 2004.

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69.ttle3 This was viewed as an automatic choice by most commentators, including Karsten.

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However, it looks as though Black narrowly escapes. Mihail Marin found a most stylish win with: 69.lLlg7t!! The main idea behind this beautiful move is to bring the knight to a more active square. 69 . . . r4?d7 69 . . . r4?f7 70.lLlh5 and the knight comes to f4. 69 . . . r4?d6 70.lLle8t! r4?e7 (70 . . . r4?d7 7 1 .lLlf6t r4?e6 72.lLle4 is winning) 7 1 .lLlc7 .ic6 72.d5 This is the end for Black. 7o.lLlh5 .ig2 7 1 .lLlf4 .ifl t 72.r4?e4 r4?d6 73.r4?e3! Black is in zugzwang. Instead 73.d5 only leads to a draw after 73 . . . .ic4 74.r4?d4 .ia2=. 73 . . . r4?c6 73 . . . .ic4 74.lLle2 r4?d5 7 5 .lLlc3t r4?d6 76.r4?e4 wins for White. 74.d5t r4?d6 7 5 .r4?d4 .ic4 76.a4 White wins.

This is the best chance to create problems for the defence. For a while I thought the king march was enough to thwart Karsten's defensive plan, but it turns out that Black can still defend. 70 .d5t achieves nothing after 70 . . . r4?e5! (but not 70 . . . .ixd5? 7 1 .r4?d4 .if3 72.r4?c5) . 70.r4?c3 White tries to play r4?b3 followed by a4 and taking back with the king. (We have already seen that if the knight takes back that is not enough for a win.) Unfortunately the plan is slow enough for Black to prevent, viz. 70 . . . r4?d6 7 1 .r4?b3 .ic6! 72.d5 .ie8 73.r4?c3 r4?e5! Black holds it. 70 ... �d6 7 1 . �el �e6 72. �fl .ie4 73. �g3 .ia8 74.�f4 .ib7 75.�g5 .is! 76.�g6 .ie4t 77.�g7 .iS 78.�m .ih5

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69 ....iS! This is Karsten's move. Dvoretsky explains in his superb analysis that Black has to stop the lLl d l -c3 manoeuvre. Black can live with it only if his king gets to c4, but that cannot be accomplished. 70.�d2!

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79.tLlg2!? This was my finesse, which I thought should be enough to force the win. In reality it does not, but nevertheless it forces Black to avoid some wicked traps. 79 ... .iS Another defence is 79 . . . r4?d6 8o.lLlf4 .ig4!? According to Dvoretsky this is even simpler as it avoids the danger of zugzwang. 80.tLlf4t �d6 Not 80 . . . r4?f5 ? 8 1 .d5! r4?xf4 82.d6 .ic6 83. r4?e7 and White wins. 8 1 .�e8 .idl 82.�d8 .ig4 83.tLlg2

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The following alternative is also insufficient to break the defence. 83.d5 i.f5! 83 ... @e5? 84.@c7 @xf4 8 5 .d6 @e5 86.d7 i.xd7 87.@xd7 @d5 88.@c7 wins. 84.'Dg2 84.@e8 i.e4! (84 . . . @e5? 8 5 .@e7) 8 5 .@f7 i.h 1 86.@f6 i.e4 White cannot make any progress. 84 . . . i.g4 84 . . . i.e4? 8 5 .'De3 i.f3 86.@c8 8 5 .'De3 i.h3 86.@e8 i.c8 87.@f7 The king tries to come back to the centre. 87 . . . i.b7 87 . . . i.h3! ? 88.@f6 i.d7 is also okay. 88 .@f6 i.a8 89.@f5 i.xd5 But now White's king is too far away from the b5-pawn, so Black is safe. 83 .if5! Not 83 . . . i.e6? 84.'De3 when Black is In zugzwang. 84.ttle3

85.ttldl c;!?d5 86.ttlc3t After 86.@e7 i.g8 87.'Dc3t @xd4 88.'Dxb5t White cannot win. 86 c;!?xd4 87.ttlxb5t c;!?c4 If the bishop had been on f5 , White could then win with a check on d6, but now the position is a simple draw. I quote Karsten: "The second [of his two most surprising endgame discoveries] is my analysis of the knight versus bishop endgame Kramnik Deep Fritz in ChessBase Magazine 1 1 6. Here Kasparov proved me wrong in the 1 /2007 edition of New in Chess Magazine. White is winning, but not in the way I had thought. I put that right in CBM 1 1 7 as follows: " .•.

(Karsten's comments are shown i n quotation marks)

..•

Vladimir Kramnik Deep Fritz -

Bonn ( 1 ) 2006

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84 .ie6! This places White in zugzwang. Grandmaster Pinter and I felt there should be a way to win. We tried to prove it, but Karsten's defensive idea withstood our test. Actually it is a mutual zugzwang. Originally I only looked at the position with Black to move, in which case White would win. .•.

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"First I show how the game ended between Kramnik and Deep Fritz. The world champion was easily held by the computer." 29.ttld5 .id4 30.a4? .ic5 3 1 .h3 f6 32.f3 c;!?g6 33.e4 h5 34.g4 hxg4 35.hxg4 fxe4 36.fxe4 c;!?g5 37.c;!?f3 c;!?g6 38.c;!?e2 c;!?g5 39.c;!?d3 .igl 40.c;!?c4 .in 41 .c;!?b5 c;!?xg4 42.ttlxf6t c;!?f3 43. c;!?c6 .ih4 44.ttld7 c;!?xe4 45. c;!?xb6

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.tnt 46.'it>c6 .tel 47.tl�xe5 1f2_112

" I recommended a different plan would lead narrowly to a win."

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but White probably still wins after 47.1L1g2 ib6t 48.@e2 ia5 49.@f2 id8 50.h3t @xh3 5 1 .@f3 . However, Kasparov came up with an amazing discovery and destroyed my illusion."

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34.@c3 ? "This wins the pawn but allows counterplay." 34 . . . @g5 3 5 .1L1c7 @g4 36.1L1xb5 @f3 37.@c4 ib6 38.1L1d4t @xf2 39.1L1xf5 @f3 40.@d5 ixe3 4 1 .1L1h4t @g4 42.@xe4 ib6 43.a4 id8 44.1L1g2 @h3 45.1L1f4t @g4 (45 .@xh2 loses to 46.@f3!. The knight will win the bishop on the queenside.)

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43 . . . h5! "Kasparov's subtle move stops White's king from returning to his h- and g-pawns to consolidate the kingside." 44.1L1g2 f5t 45 .@e5 ic7t 46.@e6 ib6 47.@f6 id8t 48.@g6 @f3 49 . 1L1 e l t @g4 50.1L1d3 ic7 5 1 .1L1f2t @f3 52.@xf5 @xf2 53.@g5 @f3 54.@xh5 @e4 "Black holds. This underlines once again that the bishop is really strong in such an open fight on both wings!" " But Kasparov showed his class and found a convincing win by closing the kingside first with some subtle moves. Here is his line."

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34.1L1c7! b4 3 5 .1L1d5 @g5 36.h3 h6 37.1L1f4 id6 38.@c2 h5 39.1L1g2 White wins.

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Once again we see all kinds of subtleties contained in a position with very few pieces. But so far we have only scratched the surface . . . I had several questions regarding Karsten's analysis.

I can understand becoming impressed by the position. However it seems to me a bit ''tooforced" regarding how many possible moves there are on the board. Let me ask a few questions: Is 29. . . b5 forced? Black can try 29. . . i. d4 or 29. . . i. a3, can't he? And it seems to me Black can play 32. . . @g6 followed by . . . @g5 or . . . @ h5, and if White plays on the queenside then . . f4 creates counter chances. I do not claim it draws though. . . Finally, in the variation involving Kasparov's 43 . . . h5!, does it make a difrence if White has the move in that position? "Let me answer your questions one by one." Please, go ahead as you like! "Black can try to do without 29 . . . b 5 but he fails to hold."

3 1 .ttJxd4 exd4 32.@f4 b5 33.f3 b4 34.h3 h6 35.g4 fxg4 36.hxg4 @g6 37.@e5 White wins. b) 29 . . . i.a3 30.ttJd5 i.c5 3 1 .e3 f6 Black prepares to bring the king to the centre. 32.@e2 @f7 33.@d3 @e6 34.@c4

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Both Black's king and bishop are tied to the defence of a pawn, and he soon runs into a zugzwang.

How about 30. . . b5 31.e3 i. d6! (instead of 31 . . j6)? It intends to go to the main line without allowing Kasparov's incredible 34. Cf:c7!! move. "White can play differently." Karsten demonstrated the following line: 29 . . .i.a3 30.ttJd5 b5 This was my suggested improvement over 30 . . . i.c5 in line b) above.

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Karsten demonstrated the following lines. a) 29 . . . i.d4 30.t2k6! White threatens to enter into a winning pawn ending. The results can be seen after: 30 . . . @f6 Avoiding the pawn ending is also problematic. For instance, after 30 . . . i.b2 3 1 .ttJe7! @f6 32.ttJd5t White wins the b-pawn.

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3 1 .e4! @g6 32.ttJc7! b4 33.ttJd5! fxe4t 34.@xe4 White's advantage is enough to win. Black must drop something because he will soon be in zugzwang. "Let's look at the line if Black holds back . . . e4 and plays 32 . . . @g6." So after 29.@f3! b5 30.ttJd5 id4 3 1 .e3 ic5 32. @e2, then 32 . . . @g6.

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This leads to some fascinating variations! 33.ttJc7 b4 34.@d3 @g5 3 5 .@c4 id6 36.ttJeB! The point of this move is to keep the knight closer to the kingside. White intends to prevent the infiltration via g4 with h2-h3, and only then penetrate with his own king to d5 . In fact Karsten's original suggestion had been: 36.ttJd5 @g4 37.ttJxb4 @f3 3B.a4

3B . . . ic7! (this was my improvement over 3B . . . @xf2, after which Karsten demonstrated an easy win with 39.a5 ibB 40 .ttJc6 ic7 4 1 .a6 ib6 42.ttJxe5) 39.ttJd5 idB 40.@b5 @xf2 4 1 .a5 ixa5 42.@xa5 @g2 43.ttJe7 @xh2 44. ttJxf5 @h3 Black's powerful king enables him to draw. 36 . . . ie7 37.@d5! The alternative 37.h3 is probably also good enough. 37 . . . f4 (37 . . . h5 3B.f4t exf4 39.exf4t @g6 40.h4 must be winning as Black cannot get to g3) 3B. @d5 f6 39.ttJc7 and, although I am not completely certain, I think White wins. The main move is even more convincing, and leaves no room for doubt. 37 . . . @g4 3B.@xe5 @f3 39.@xf5 @xf2 40.e4 @g2 4 1 .g4 @xh2 42.g5 @g3 43.e5 White is ready to start capturing pawns.

Now for my third question. Instead of the variation with Garry's amazing 43. . . h5!' Black can also aim for the same position but with White to move. It would be interesting to see if this changes the evaluation. "It is a very interesting and instructive idea as one must almost always think of zugzwang in the endgame. Can we look at it together?"

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The idea was worth looking at, but it turns out that it is not enough to save Black. We came up with the following joint analysis:

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42. Wxe4 1la7 43.a4 1lb6 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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Now White even has the luxury of two routes to victory. a) 44.ttJf5 with two tries for Black: a l ) 44 . . . h5 45.ttJe3t Wh3 46.ttJd5 1ldB 47.Wf3! White's king helps his pawn. Interestingly Black can exchange all the pawns on the kingside, yet still he loses. 47 . . . Wxh2 After 47 . . . h4 4B.ttJf4t Wxh2 49.gxh4 1lxh4 50.a5 the bishop is unable to stop White's pawn. 4B.ttJf4 1lc7 4B . . . h4 49.gxh4 1lxh4 50.a5 +4B . . . f5 49.ttJxh5 1lc7 50.ttJg7 1lxg3 5 1 .a5! The pawn promotes here as well. 49.ttJxh5 Wh3 50.ttJf4t Wh2 5 1 .Wg4 1ldB 52.ttJh5 1la5 53.Wf5 White wins, as he soon takes the f7-pawn as well. a2) 44 . . . Wh3 4 5 .ttJh6 Wxh2 46.g4 Wg3 47.Wf5 Wh4 4B.ttJxf7 1la5 49.ttJg5 h6 50.ttJf7 1ld2 5 1 .ttJe5 5 1 .ttJxh6?? looks winning as well, but actually throws half a point away: 5 1 . . . 1lxh6 52.a5 1le3! 53.a6 1ld4! 54.g5 Wh5 In this mutual zugzwang position it is White to move, therefore Black draws. 5 1 . . .Wh3 52.ttJc4 White wins.

b) 44.ttJg2!? It is worth looking at White's second winning move as well. 44 . . . f5t 44 . . . Wh3 45.ttJf4t Wxh2 46.ttJh5 wins. 4 5 .We5 h5 45 . . . Wh3 46.ttJf4t Wxh2 47.ttJh5 wins. 46.We6 1ldB 46 . . . h4 47.ttJxh4 f4 4B.gxf4 Black can take either the knight or the pawn, but loses in both cases. 47.ttJe3t Wh3 4B.Wxf5! 4B.ttJxf5 ? Wxh2 is drawing. 4B . . . Wxh2 49.Wf4 Wh3 49 . . . h4 50.gxh4+49 . . . 1lc7t 50.Wf3 Wh3 5 1 .ttJd5 1lxg3 52.ttJf4t wins. 50.Wf3 50.ttJd5 Wg2= 50 . . . h4 50 . . . 1lc7 5 1 .ttJd5 1lxg3

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52.ttJf4t! Wh4 53.a5 1lh2 54.a6 1lg 1 5 5 .ttJg2t! White's knight wins the tempo to block the diagonal. 5 1 .g4 W h2 52.ttJd5 Wg l 52 . . . h 3 53.ttJf4 1lg5 54.ttJxh3! wins - but note that 54.a5 ? ? would even lose because of 54 . . . 1lxf4 5 5 .Wxf4 Wg l . 53.ttJf4 Wh2 53 . . . 1lc7 54.g5 1lxf4 5 5 .Wxf4 h3 56.g6 h2 57.g7 h l =Wf 5B.gB=Wft Black promotes first, but White achieves it with a check and can

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Chapter 7 Karsten Miiller -

follow by exchanging queens. 54.ttJg6 cj;>h3 54 . . . h3 5 5 .ttJf4

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Grigoriev, Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1 938

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5 5 .cj;>f4 White soon takes the black h-pawn and wins.

Do you have any favourite type ofendgames? "Rook endgames - as they often turn out to be more difficult than they look and occur relatively frequently." You must have done a lot of work with endgame studies; do you have a favourite composer? "Nikolai Dmitrievich Grigoriev. His pawn endgame studies look so natural and turn out to be so magical. One story that I find particularly amazing is about a certain study Grigoriev published in 1 938. To quote Averbakh: " "Nikolai Grigoriev died o n 1 0th October 1938. The present study was published in the October edition of the periodical Shakhmaty v SSSR of the same year. Its solution appeared after the death ofthe author, in 1939. " "Only in 1 98 5 (that is 47 years after Grigoriev's death!!) was the correct solution published in Shakhmaty v SSSR. This I find really amazing for such a simple looking pawn ending, one of Grigoriev's master pieces."

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White to play and win l .a4 �b7 2.�h5!! In 1 939 the Soviet chess magazine gave 2.cj;>g5? as the solution! 2 ... �c7 3. �g6 �c6 4.b3 White wins thanks to the distant opposition. I also consider him to be a great composer, yet I know a fantastic Grigoriev study (W: cj;> c2, t!:,b4, t!:,h6, B: cj;> a8, t!:,b7, t!:,hl) where he gave the stipulation 'White to play and win: but Black can hold it. Do you think he was aware of the brilliant 2. cj;> h5!! move? "I am convinced he knew the solution." Computers have revolutionized endgames - what are yourfeelings about it? "In general positive, but a bit ambivalent on the one hand they are a tremendous help, when searching for the truth, and they show us how amazingly deep chess is. Just recall the tablebase results on pawnless endings, such as that rook and bishop win in general against two knights, but astonishingly in up to 222 moves, while queen versus two knights is generally drawn. But on the other hand the computers take away from some spheres of human creativity."

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Wouldyou dare to bet serious money thatyou could draw with a rook against a rook and bishop against a human and a computer, with the 50-move rule implemented? "No. Although I have often taught my students what to do and which positions to know by heart, I have never had this endgame as a defender in a tournament game so far. So betting would risk too much, especially against a human plus computer combination." How often do they spot holes in your analyses? "Seldom." From whom didyou learn most about endgames? "From Mark Dvoretsky's works, especially his excellent Endgame University." Who is yourfavourite endgame player? "Anato 1y Karpov. " And who is yourfavourite player overall? "Robert James Fischer with Garry Kasparov coming in as a close second." To play endgames well how much do you think it is education and how much is it talent? "With endgames, experience and training count for a lot of course, but to play as well as Kramnik or Karpov can neither be learnt nor taught - you have the special talent or you don't. " When you write, are you more a trainer, an entertainer or a scientist? ''A trainer and a scientist. After all I am a mathematician . . . " Your and Frank Lamprecht's book Fundamental Chess Endings won the British Chess Federation awardfor the book ofthe Year. What does this prestigious award mean to you? "It means a lot. But it should be mentioned that it was Gambit's idea to write the book and they were searching for authors to do the job. When John Nunn asked Frank and me, we did not hesitate long." I noticed two things in your ChessCafe article; one thing I liked very much, the other one I found somewhat controversial. Which one do you want me to mention first? "The one you liked." You selected in your collection some games which you had lost. Not many authors come up with their disappointments. I do appreciate it very much. Wts it is easy to go this direction? "Yes, I want to learn from my mistakes." In your articles there are many advertisementsforyour books. I understand it and any author, including myself likes to see people reading his or her books, but in the Chess Cafe articles there are more of them than I'd like to see. Anyway people see your level in the article and it takes them a ten-second search to find your works. Do you put in the advertisements yourselfor is it not your decision? "It is not my decision."


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In your article o n the two knights versus a pawn endgame, you did not mention that the world-class grandmaster and the deservedly highly respected endgame specialist John Nunn failed to win a won position. Didyou not know about this particular game ofhis, or as you workfor Gambit, didyou feel compromised and kept silent on the subject? "I did not know about that particular endgame by John Nunn." You have a lot ofvery nice examples. Where do you get the new games from? Do you specially search in the database? "I always search the latest The week in Chess for new examples for publication in ChessBase Magazine or Endgame Corner at ChessCafe. com. There are several ways to do this: either with the endgame key, if 1 need examples of a given material imbalance, or by just looking at all endgames played by players rated higher than 2400 for example. Of course 1 also scan books, periodicals etc, for new examples or new discoveries in old positions." Do you work on your article according to a plan, or when you have inspiration? "Of course it is always better to have inspiration. But sometimes 1 just have to deliver material on time and for this 1 have a database with possible examples prepared and then make a plan, what to use for ChessBase and what for ChessCafe." Any dreams as a writer? "Yes, but 1 prefer to keep them secret for the moment . . . " Do you have your own family? "No." Composition grandmaster Gyorgy Bakcsi, who wrote several books on Russian literature, once wrote that Dostoyevsky envied Tolstoi as he was a noble and could spend as much on his novels as he wanted. On the other hand Dostoyevsky voluntarily undertook his brother's debt when he died. Bakcsi wrote it is possible he did it toforce himselfto write. As you have no family, I thinkfinancially you are probably not under huge pressure. Do you think your financial situation has an efct on you as a chess writer? "You are right: 1 am not under huge financial pressure. The advantage is that 1 can sometimes realize projects which otherwise would be too time-consuming. For example Frank Lamprecht and 1 worked on Secrets ofPawn Endings for four years, which would simply not be possible if the financial pressure was very high." Any hobbies apartfrom chess and mathematics? "I used to play a lot of soccer when 1 was younger (in 1 992/93 1 even played in a team consisting only of chess players in the lowest league in Hamburg) and 1 am interested in mathematical games - but not poker." You are a doctor of mathematics and a grandmaster in chess. Ifyou had two lives, would you like to devote one only to mathematics and one only to chess? Do you have any regrets that you probably could have done better in either hadyou settledfor just one?

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"No. I find that both are really fascinating subjects, but doing only one per life I would probably miss something. I am happy with what I have achieved in both subjects and I strongly doubt that I would have done better with one per life."

Thank you for the interview.

Testimonials Mark Dvoretsky Highly respected trainer and writer: "We contacted each other often via the Internet. Karsten made a great contribution to my Endgame Manual - he carefully read the text and made a lot of valuable remarks, produced many interesting and deep pieces of analysis (which were included in the book, of course) . He is working now on my new book and it certainly will help to improve the quality of the text. In the process of our contacts via e-mail it becomes clear to me that Karsten has a wide erudition, he is very hard-working, conscientious and accurate with his analysis. He is a real connoisseur of the endgame (his excellent books and articles also confirm it) . It is significant also that Karsten (in contrast to many other players and authors) didn't consider his colleagues as rivals. He does not envy them their success - for example, he always expressed (both in his personal letters and publicly) his high opinion of my book Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual. He didn't consider it as a rival version of his own endgame books."

Hans Hecht Represented Germany at ten chess Olympiads: "In May 1 98 8 I started working for ChessBase with regard to endgames. Sometimes I got feedback from different chess players, and several times it came from Karsten Muller. His comments were always well-grounded and showed deep understanding of endgames. When I finished my work for ChessBase in May 2004, it was logical that Karsten Muller took over this job. There is no doubt - he is doing a very good job in his own style."

Stefan Kindermann Represented Germany at six Olympiads: "Besides being a very nice and correct guy, he has a reputation as an original and very strong attacking player and tactician; especially on the White side of the Sicilian, he is very dangerous. Here he obviously learned a lot from Alexei Shirov, whose second he has been for some time. Our personal score is equal if ! remember correctly; I succeeded in losing two French Exchanges on the Black side to him by overambitious play. He was rather ill for some time, but it seems that he has recovered well. Moreover he is a renowned endgame specialist and has written a lot on this topic."

Chapter 7 - Karsten Muller

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Rainer Knaak Five-time East German champion; Editor of ChessBase Magazine: "I first met Karsten during encounters at the chessboard, where he proved to be a most pleasant opponent (as for the statistics, I refer you to the databases) . But I have had much more contact with him in my function as an editor. Since 1 997, he has regularly delivered articles for ChessBase Magazine, first on openings (among others the Scandinavian) , and later on endgames - his true passion. He has issued countless publications in the field of endgames, and his four endgame DVDs for ChessBase have been a big success. Seeing how fast Karsten always delivers his work, I feel that he derives great pleasure from it and that he wouldn't mind ChessBase Magazine to be issued on a monthly basis (up to now it is every two months) ."

Karsten Muller with the famous Topalov-Shirov, Linares 1998, position. Black to play and win . . .

Chapter 8

Laszlo Lindner

The Man whose Life was Saved by Chess

A young Lindner with the fourth World Champion, Alexander Alekhine For many people, chess is an activity for their spare time. For others it is a profession. For Laszlo Lindner it was a lifelong love and, extraordinarily, it saved his life. How could this happen? The history of the rwentieth century contains many absurd and tragic rwists. Lindner and his generation were not immune. At the end of World War II, Lindner was among the many who were taken to a concentration camp. The camp was in a town called Bor, located in the hills of Yugoslavia. He was in the same camp as Miklos Radnoti, one of the greatest Hungarian poets, as well as a strong chessplayer, Tibor Florian, who later became Hungarian champion. Florian was able to bring a small chess set with him. He and Lindner sometimes managed to find a place to hide behind the barracks and play some chess. Laszlo recorded some games in his notebook. You can see a page of it here.

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- Laszlo Lindner

They kept a record of 20 of their games, although they may have played more. Florian won this unusual match 1 2-8 . Here are two of the games that Lindner won.

Tibor Florian - Laszlo Lindner

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1 8.�b H? The presence of such a blunder indicates that our heroes were already in very bad shape. 1 8 ... �hf8? 1 8 .. J�xe3t! wins instantly. 1 9.�h5 gb8 20.fl ! On the other hand this is a subtle move. 20 ... b5? 2 1 .e4 2 1 .!g3 wins an exchange. 2 1 . .. dxe4 22.he4

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13.�e2 The early moves tell us that the two players were quite well educated in opening theory. 13 ... c4 14 ..ic2 �f8 1 5.g4! This is a modern approach. Even today world-class grandmasters use the same idea, although nowadays Black will usually have exchanged the light-squared bishops on a6. The most famous game involving this central structure was the immortal encounter Botvinnik - Capablanca, Avro 1 938. 15 .. JWc7 1 6.�g3 1 6.h4!? intending lLlf4 was interesting as well. 16 ... �g6 17.h4 �h7

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22 ....ixg4?? This is a bluff, but it does the trick. 23.�xg7? After the simple 23.fxg4 Wd7 24.!f3 Black is a piece down with no compensation. 23 ... xg7 24.fxg4 �f4 0- 1

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Though White has a reasonable position, he resigned. Probably his physical state no longer allowed him to see things clearly.

1 7 . . . !e7!? may have been a better defensive try. 1 8.he4 %VxgS 1 9.hdS

Laszlo Lindner - Tibor Florian

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l .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.�c3 �fG 4.�a e6 S.e3 �bd7 6 ..td3 dxc4 7.hc4 bS 8 ..td3 a6 9.e4 cS 1 0.eS cxd4 It is remarkable that the players employed a theoretical line which remains topical to the present day. 1 1 .�e4 The main move is 1 l .'Dxb5 , which came under the microscope in 2008 when Anand inflicted two defeats with Black over Kramnik in their world championship match. 1 1 . .. �g4!? Florian chooses the most ambitious continuation. Moving to d5 is fine as well. 12 ..tf4 .tb4t 13.f1 fG 14.exfG �gxf6?! It would have been better to take with the other knight. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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l S.�fgS!? Lindner embarks on an attack, although the simple 1 5 .'Dxd4 was enough for a pleasant advantage. l S ... �b6 1 6.%Ve2 �bdS 17 . .teS �xe4

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1 9 ... d3! Under pressure, Florian finds one of the soundest defences. The only other playable move was 1 9 . . Jh7! , although Black's position is not enviable there either. 20 . .tc6t .td7 2 1 .hd7t xd7 22.%Vxd3t e8 23.%Ve4 White still has a clear edge, but Black has chances to survive. Of course, the real achievement for both of them was that they survived the horror of their situation. 23 ... �c8 24.g3 �c4 2S.%Va8t %Vd8 26.%Vxd8t xd8 27 ..txg7 �g8 28 ..tfGt .te7? Mter 28 . . . @e8! White still has to overcome some obstacles. 29.he7t? White should have taken the opportunity for 29.E1:d l t! which wins a hugely important tempo. 29 ... xe7 30.g2 White is still a pawn up but he must work for the full point. 30 ... �gc8 3 1 .b3 I would prefer 3 l .E1:he l !? E1:c2 32.b4. 3 1 . .. �c2 32.b4 Lindner wants to open the a-file for his rook.

Chapter B Laszlo Lindner -

32 .. J�b2 33.a4! �xb4 34.axb5 axb5 Black gives up the h-pawn, hoping that his own passed pawn will provide enough counterplay. 35.�a7t c.t>f6 36.�xh7 �b2

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39 ... �b6 40.c.t>g3! b3 41 .h5 �c2 42.f4 �c3t 43.c.t>h4 1-0 Black resigned, as his king is caught. The way Lindner finished the second game would have made any player proud. To do it while existing under such appalling conditions makes the achievement all the more impressive.

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How a game of chess saved two lives

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By the end of the war the Germans no longer had the ability to keep the labour camp operating, and they decided to return the detainees to their homes.

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37.g4! �b8?! Black bases his chances on pushing the b-pawn, but this allows the second white rook to become active. With 37 . . . !:!:fB or 37 . . . !:!:cc2!? Black could have tied this piece to the defence of the f2-pawn, thus obtaining some drawing chances. 38.h4 b4 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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39.�el ! White is sewing together a nice mating net.

They were to be sent back to Hungary by train. Understandably, they were all eager to return. Some time before the scheduled departure, Lindner and Florian started to play a final game behind the barracks. By a quirk of fate, they became so involved with the game that they forgot all about the train! When they finished playing, both the Germans and their fellow detainees had gone. They were worried that their involvement in the game might cost them their lives, but in fact the opposite was true and their mutual obsession saved them. The train was stopped, and its occupants were forced to march back towards the Third Reich. None of them made it. Fortunately, Florian and Linder managed to reach local Serbians who helped them. The poet Radnoti died in a small village called Abda, close to the Austrian border. He was buried in a mass grave. A few years later when authorities excavated the grave, they found a small notebook with a poem in one of the dead men's jackets. The man had been shot in the head from behind. The hardship of the concentration camp had made a good poet

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into a great one. That notebook has become a pearl of Hungarian culture. The nicest pieces from the notebook are still taught in all Hungarian schools. Here is one page from the notebook and two poems translated into English:

Postcard 3 Translated by Francis Jones The bullocks' mouths are drooling bloody spittle, all the men are pissing blood, our squadron stands in rough and stinking clumps, a foul death blows overhead. Mohdcs, 24th Oct. 1944

Forced March Translated by A. W. Tueting Crazy, who, from collapsing, gets up for new advance, and moves in stumbling torture the limbs to get his chance, and still is heading forward as if with wings he'd fly, in vain the trench is calling, he does not dare to die. He'd answer to your question, what for this strain's to stand, that there's a dear wife waiting, and perhaps a wiser end. Yet this good guy's quite crazy, through his old home behind since long the winds are blowing, from blaze and ashes blind. The back wall fell to pieces, the plum tree's broken down, and gotten rough from scaring those nights so sweet at home.

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Laszlo Lindner

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Oh, couldn't I believe yet - not kept in heart alone that there is still a homeland, so dear for me to roam; if there were still the old porch, and sitting in the sun, and peaceful bees were humming while cools the jelly plum, the ending summer dozing o'er the garden's dreamy flair, and midst green foliage swaying the fruit so firm and bare, and Fanni stands there waiting, blonde, the hawthorn hedge aside, and shadows written slowly by a slow late morning's light. Could all this still come true yet! The moon's so round today! Don't stride ahead, my comrade, shout at me - I can't stay! Historians in Hungary estimate the number of dead from their Jewish community at between 400,000 and 600,000 and from the Gipsy community between 30,000 and 60,000.

Cheating death for a second time Mter his ordeal, Lindner returned to Hungary, where life had started to return to normal. Sadly, when the Communist party started to gain total control, the western countries did nothing to prevent it. Mter the war Laszlo took a job at the Hungarian chess magazine. He was also offered a senior post in the local government. However, he turned it down in order to remain involved with chess. Once again his love for the game saved him. Had he taken the job, it would have cost him his life. When the Communist party took over, they fabricated court cases to get rid of people in certain administrative positions. Sadly, the man who took the job that Lindner rejected was killed. I met up with him sporadically over a period of many years. First, I spent much time with Laci Bacsi (Uncle Laci) in 1 994. I met him when he was in Munich. He drove me back to Hungary. It was impressive that at that time, when he was roughly 80 years old, he could drive the 700 kilometres on his own. My good relations with him and his very charming wife, Aunty Kati, really started when he was a reporter at the 1 998 Karpov - Anand match in Lausanne. We talked quite a lot, and from then on I visited them whenever I had the opportunity. Those chats are very pleasant memories for me. Laci Bacsi was a very well-educated man. His general knowledge was very impressive, and he spoke many languages fluently. Lindner's son, Andras, actually informed me that he occupied a high government office. He managed this without joining the ruling Communist party. This may not sound like much for people who never lived under such a regime, but it shows his high qualifications for the job. I believe his main interest apart from his family was chess - that was what mattered to him the most. He certainly talked about it more than any other subject. He wrote a lot for chess magazines both in Hungary and abroad. He had a chess column for three decades in one of Hungary's biggest newspapers. He was a specialist on computer chess, a subject on which he often

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published. He also commented on chess for a Hungarian radio station. Let me add something about his versatility. Before taking one trip to Paris, I purchased a guidebook about the city. I only realized much later that the author was none other than Laci Bacsi! Andras told me he had written at least 20 tourist books on various cities and countries. His original love, where chess is concerned, was composing, although he gradually shifted to computer chess. Even then he regularly visited composition meetings. Let me show an example I first encountered in my childhood. As a trainer I thought about it many times, but I did not realize the identity of the composer until quite a long time later. Here it is. Lindner 1 953

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2 ... c3 The alternative is: 2 . . . e4 3.a6 e3 4.dxe3 This is a remarkable position - Black can choose between promoting on the c-, d-, and e-files. But none of the three will enable him to keep the newborn lady. 4 . . . c3 Let's see what happens when Black promotes on e 1 : 4 . . . dxe3 5 . a7 e2 6.aB=W e 1 =W 7.WfBt @e5 B .Wf4t @d5 9 .Wd6t @e4 1 0.Wxe6t Black loses the queen. Alternatively, there is the d-file: 4 . . . d3 5 . a7 d2 6.aB=W d l =W 7.WfBt @e5 B .Wf4t @d5 9.Wd6t The same happens again. 5 .bxc3 dxc3 6.a7 c2 7.aB=W c 1 =W Here Black promotes on the c-file, but this does not save him either. B .WfBt @e5 9 .Wf4t @d5 1 0.e4t This time a different motif wins the queen. 1 0 . . . @d4 1 1 .Wxc 1 And White wins. 3.bxc3 dxc3 4.dxc3 e4 8

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Black will create a queen on the e-file, which is blocked by a pawn. That makes White's task more complicated. 5.a6 e3 6.a7 e2 7.a8=� e 1 =� 8.�ffit Black has two ways to try to escape, but neither brings salvation. 8 e5 •••

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8 . . . @gS 9.Wff4t @hS 1 O.Wfh4 is mate. 9.�f4t �d5 Now the d6-check would be harmless, as Black's king can escape via c4.

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My book about Judit Polgar came out just before I left Hungary. As I live two hours away from Budapest, I did not manage to squeeze another visit into my schedule. I will always regret it, as I never had a chance to show him my book. Being away from Hungary, I learned the sad news of his passing j ust a few months after it happened.

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Let me show you some more of his very fine studies!

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l O.c4# However, now he gets checkmated in the middle of the board. It is a pretty and witty study, and an educational one as well. Lindner was born in 1 9 1 6. From his early years, he visited some of the best tournaments and he personally met all the world champions from Lasker ro Anand. He had remarkable energy. He was working in several fields, even during his late eighties. He still wrote chess articles and had other activities. The last time I went to visit Laszlo and Aunty Kati, he apologetically told me he would have no time for me because he was very busy and asked me to come back some considerable time later. I told him through the gate phone that I might not be able to do that as I was working outside of Hungary. So he invited me to come in. Then he showed me he was working on a contribution to a book, which was to be published upon the opening of the Budapest Holocaust museum. He was worried his health would not allow him to finish the work in time.

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White to play and win White is considerably behind in material, but Black's pieces can hardly move. It turns out that the study is not completely correct, but we will look at it anyway, because it demonstrates the wonderful imagination and creativity of its author. l .gd5!! White sacrifices the only piece he has. 1 . .. exd5 1 . . .@c7 2.bS! exdS 3.exdS transposes to the main line, and 3.cxdS also does the job. There is another interesting option in: 1 . . . i.xeS?!

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This is a creative idea, sacrificing a piece to create some breathing space. It was not considered by Laszlo, but it turns out that White can also win here, using a zugzwang motiE 2Jhe5 @c7 3.b5 @b8 3 . . . d6 brings no salvation for Black after 4.EEg5 i.d7 5.EEg7 i.c8 6.EEg3 @b8 (6 . . . i.d7 7.EEa3; 6 . . . e5 7.EEg8) 7.@xd6 �c7 8 .EEg8 �a8 9.e5 �c7 l O.@e7 �a8 1 1 .@d8 �c7 1 2.EEgl and wins. 4.@d6 �c7 5.EEg5 �e8t 5 . . . e5 6.EExe5 �e6 7.EExe6! dxe6 8.e5+5 . . . �a6 6.bxa6 bxa6 7.e5 a5 8 .EEg4 @b7 9.EEgl +6.@e7 �c7 7.e5 �a8 8 .@d8 �c7 9.EEg l �a8 1 O.EEal �c7 1 1 .EEa2 Finally Black has run out of moves. 2.exdSt rJc7 3.bS Paralysing Black even more. 3 ... .ta7 4.d6t rJb8 S. rJd8 tDc7 6.dxc7t rJa8 7.rJxc8

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White wins, as Black will be forced into a helpmate by placing his bishop on b8, either immediately or after giving up the d-pawn. A cute finish! Now I will show you the refutation. Actually it is hidden in the note to Black's very first move. We will start from the beginning.

1 .gdS!! Now Black's strongest move is to get the king to safety. 1 ... rJc7! 2.bS! 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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Can you find the correct plan for Black? The solution is: 2 ....ta7!! 3.gdl rJb8 The terrible 3 . . . i.b8 ?? 4.EEa l i.a7 5 .EExa7 @b8 6.@d8 wins for White. 4. rJd8 tDc7! The point of this amazing regrouping is that Black will continue with . . . �a6!' He does not mind sacrificing the knight on this square in order to liberate his bishops. White should probably allow the knight to come to c5 . In that case White still has some chances to draw, as the black bishops remain restricted, but of course he has absolutely no hope of winning. It is a pity that this beautiful study contained a flaw, but Black's idea was easy to miss without a computer. The next studies have been checked for accuracy and are flawless.

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Chapter B Laszlo Lindner -

Black wins the race, and it looks like it is time to resign.

Lindner 1 94B

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White to play and draw Black is way ahead in material, but the queen is rather passive. 1 .lLld8! �xd8t 1 . . . 'lWbBt 2.c7 'lWcB 3.c6 g6 (3 . . . 'lWf5 4.cB='IW 'lWf4t is a perpetual, but 4 . . . 'lWxcB? 5 .lLle6 �f7 6.lLlc7 wins for White) 4.lLle6 �f7 5 .lLldBt leads to a repetition. 2.exd8=�t c;t>xd8 3.c7t c;t>c8 4.c;t>c6 h5

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1 1 .a8=�t!! �xa8 1 2.c6!! Quite incredibly, Black's queen is trapped, so the game ends in a draw. The next one also features a battle between dangerous passed pawns. Lindner 1 95 1

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White's situation appears hopeless, but there is an amazing twist in the story. 5.gxh6 gxh6 6.c;t>b6 h5 7.c;t>xa6 h4 8.c;t>b6 h3 9.a6 h2 10.a7 hl =�

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White to play and win l .ga8t c;t>b7 2.gxh8 h2 Black's h-pawn is extremely dangerous. Now it requires attractive and precise play from White to avoid losing - never mind winning!

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3J�b8t! The theme for this study is that the rook cannot be taken on a dark square, as the bishop will then open the h-file with a check. 3 ... g7 40.�c6, when White wins with the c-pawn. 38 c;t>g7 39.�a6 �xc3! Black has obtained some chances to draw, as White has no queens ide pawns remaining. 40.�xaS f6 41 .�d4 4 1 .�f1 ! �c7 (4 1 . . .�c4 42.�a7t ttJf7 43 .�d l wins for White) 42. 'it> h2 White probably can hold the h-pawn. He should still be winning. ..•

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4S.h6 White cannot activate the rook with 45 .�a8 ? ? �c1 t 46. 'it> h2 ttJg4t 47. 'it> g3 �c3 and Black checkmates. 45 .�aa3?! ttJg4 also holds no danger for Black. 4S ... �h7 46.c;t>h2 46.�aa3 ttJg4 47.�ag3 f5 48.'it>gl �xh6 49.�xh6 'it> xh6 is similar to the game. 46 ... �xh6 47.�xh6 c;t>xh6 Suddenly Black is in a theoretically drawn position. 48.c;t>g3 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a 48 ... c;t>gS

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Keeping the enemy king out of f4. Instead the careless 48 . . . �h5? would allow 49.�f4 �g6 50.�a3 winning. 49J��b5 @fS 50.@h3 @g6! 50 . . . �e6? 5 1 .�h4! wins for White. 5 1 .�b8 @h6 Black would lose after 5 1 . . .f5 ? 52.�h4!. 52.�b6 @g6 53.�a6 ttlf7 54.@g4 ttle5t 55.@f4 ttld3t 56.@e3 ttle5 57.@e4 @g5! Black must keep his pieces on their optimum squares. If he deviates for a moment with 57 . . . tDg4? then 5 8 .�a3!! wins. 58.�al ttlg4 59.�f1 ttlh6! Preventing a check on f5 . Instead after 59 . . . �g6?? 60.�f3!! White wins. 60.@d5 60.�f3!? Perhaps White should have tried bringing the rook to the third. In that case 60 . . . f5 t! is the only move to draw.

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60 ... fS! With his pieces positioned correctly, it is okay for Black to advance this pawn. 6 1 .@e6 f4 It was also possible to play 6 1 . . . �g6 62.�f3 �g5 63.�g3t tDg4! and Black holds. (But not 63 . . . �f4? 64.�h3 tDg4 65 .�f3t and White wins.) 62.�hl ttlg4! Lindner continues to play accurately, avoiding 62 . . . tDf5 ? 63 .�h5t!.

63.@d5 ttle3t 64. �e4 �g4 This is also an only move, but it is trivial. 65.�h8 ttlxg2 66.�g8t @h3 67.@f3 ttlh4t 68.@xf4 ttlg2t 69.@e4 ttlh4 70.�g5 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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70 ... ttlg2! Mter the incorrect 70 . . . �h2 7 1 .�f4 tDg2t 72.�g4 tDel 73.�e5! tDd3 74.�e3! tDf2t 75.�f3 wins for White. 71 .@f3 ttlh4t 72.�fl �h2 73.�g3 ttlfS 74.�d3 ttlh4 75.�a3 ttlfS? Mter a gruelling session, Black commits an error. It is also possible that the annotators made a mistake when they entered the moves into ChessBase. The right moves are 75 . . . tDg2! and 75 . . . tDg6!. 76.@f3 ttlh4t 77.@g4 ttlg2 78.�al ttle3t 79.@f3 ttlfS 80.�a4 80.�a5! wins, as in the note to Black's 70th move above. 80 ... @h3 1/2_1/2

Finally the two players agreed to a peace treaty, and the position is indeed a draw. Laszlo managed to save a very difficult endgame - it looks like an almost impossible result against a strong opponent when you look at the initial position of the ending. If one searches for Lindner's games in the database one finds something interesting and

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Chapter 8 - Laszlo Lindner possibly unique. There are some games from 1 936, one from 1 939, followed by a break of almost six decades! His next game is from 1 998 from a regional league in Germany. (It is also noteworthy that, at the age of 77, he still had enough energy to keep travelling to Germany!) His son Andras, who works as a regular interviewer for one of the biggest magazines, told me that he did in fact play some games during this period, but none of them made it onto ChessBase. The following interesting game is from the early part of his career as well.

Black starts the action. He could also have opted for a safer approach. 1 3.�xe4 �xe4 14.dxc6 �g5 1 5 ..td5 White is ready to enter sharp lines. 1 5 ....te5 1 6.cxb7? An unfortunate move order. 1 6J�d 1 would have been better. 1 6 .. J�b8? Very strong would have been 1 6 . . . �xd5! 1 7.bxa8=� �xa8 1 8 .e4 ( I 8 .ib2 ixf3 1 9.9xf3 lLlxf3t wins) 1 8 . . . lLlxf3t 1 9.9xf3 ixa 1 20 .ia3 id4 2 1 .ixf8 @xf8 . Black has decent winning chances. 17J�dl hal 1 8 ..ta3 Now the tables are turned, and it is White who has obtained the initiative in return for a small material investment.

Laszlo Lindner - Geza Fuster 8

Budapest 1 936

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contains a flaw. Black is by no means obliged to go for the amazing tactics. Objectively best is 22 . . . !e5!, when the position is balanced. 23 .!d6 �fd7! 24.b8=W ! Instead after 24.!f4 �d l t 2 5 .Wh2 8

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2 1 .�xB The gigantic pawn on b7 is unbearable for Black, and Laszlo soon converts his advantage. 2 1 . .. ,ie5 22.g3 ,id6 23.,ib2 a5 24.,ic3 ,ib4 25.hb4 axb4 26.a5 �d6 27.�g4 1-0

Gyorgy Bakcsi Grandmaster in chess composition:

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24 . . . �xd6 At first this looks rather problematic for White. 25 .Wc4t! !d5 26.Wcb4! But the computer spoils the fun. 26 . . . �g6t 27.Wfl And White wins. 19.,ixB .ixB 20.�xd8 �Uxd8

"Laci was an exceptionally energetic person. He was an optimist, who tried many things. He experienced a few failures, but enjoyed much success. He was one of the best composers in Hungary. He excelled in helpmates and mate in two compositions. He was very fast at picking up new, modern things. Maybe he was the first Hungarian chessplayer to have a computer and to capitalize on the advent of the mternet. .

"

Pal Benko Two-time world championship candidate; one of the all-time great endgame study composers:

Chapter

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"We became friends from our shared interest in composing endgame studies. We celebrated his 80th birthday together. I composed two positions with the shape of the letter 'L, in tribute to my dear friend's initials."

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Laszlo Lindner

Swapping the position of White's king and rook makes things slightly trickier. Benko later came up with a third variant! Benko 1 996

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Benko 1 996

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h To present problems of a friend's initials is a unique and ingenious birthday gift.

White to play and mate in one The first position is rather trivial. But the real artistry can be seen in the way Benko shuffled the pieces to create a different mate each time. Here is the second position.

Did you manage to solve them all?

Benko 1 996

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Chapter 9

Elmar Magerramov

"When Garry played, I was with him"

When I asked my next personality for an interview, he seemed very happy to oblige. Actually he suggested doing the interview straightaway. I asked for some time to check his games first. I explained to him that my aim with the book would be to introduce people who were relatively little known, yet who were deserve a wider audience. His instant reaction was: "When Garry mentions me, he writes about me as though people know who I am. He knows me well, but the chess public knows little. Garry seems to forget this". I never played Magerramov over the board, but while I was working on Kasparov's games, I started to develop more and more interest in him. I played him on ICC from time to time, which was fun, as one can really sense he is a strong player. Originally I did not think of selecting him for this book, but fortunately I saw him for a fraction of a second at the World Youth Championships in Turkey, and the idea to interview him was instantly born. I was not sure it was him, so I looked around for him in vain for one or two days. I started to think that perhaps I was mistaken. I asked some of my friends if they knew whether he was in Antalya, and they said they had seen him. After a few more days, I finally noticed him again and introduced myself. I found in the database that Kasparov, despite his combative style, lost to only 5 5 people in his career (perhaps I should correct the number to 56, as I learned that Mikhail Gurevich once beat

Chapter 9 - Elmar Magerramov

27 9

him when they were very young) . Even fewer can boast that they have beaten the greatest player in history on multiple occasions. The person to whom I devote this chapter achieved this feat four times. Admittedly, the victories came before Kasparov had ascended to the level of a world championship contender, but he was definitely a formidable player nonetheless. Not all of these wins came in official tournaments, yet they still represent an achievement; even in training games, Kasparov was a ferocious competitor. I hope the chess public will share my opinion that it is worth learning more about him through these games. Elmar Magerramov was raised in Baku at around the same time as Kasparov, although the former is five years older. He therefore had the opportunity to witness the growth of an exceptional chess talent. As far as I am aware, this is the first time that he has shared the experiences of his career in the public domain.

Can you talk about yourfamily background? "My father fought in World War II, and when he returned he decided to become a doctor. He was a tuberculosis specialist. He died in 1 986. My mother was a chemist. In Baku, because of the oil industry, there was a strong need for chemists. She also passed away." What is your mother language? "My family was bilingual, we spoke Russian and Azerbaijani. My mother was Russian-educated, and I also studied in Russian." Did anybody play chess in yourfamily? "My father knew how to play, but was not a good player, just like my only brother who is younger than me. By the way, I have no sisters." How did you start playing chess? "In the Soviet era there were many people playing in the squares and open areas, I always liked to watch them. But I only went to the Palace of Pioneers at the age of 1 4." That is really late! "Yes indeed late, you are right. But I played some basketball, did some wrestling and drove go-karts earlier." I know in the Caucasus backgammon is very popular - didyou play? "I have never been a fan of it - unlike Nona Gaprindashvili. I play chess for scientific reasons, not for the result." Who were your trainers in yourjunior years? "I think the first trainer is very important; Kasparov and I were very lucky to have Oleg Privorotsky. He was a candidate master, but his understanding of chess was on a master's level. He was a very well-educated positional player. Our play was usually free from obvious positional mistakes, which was not the case with most juniors; it was because of him. He started to teach us serious openings like the Scheveningen."

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Can you show us somethingfrom your youth? "Please choose from these!" s. Akopov

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Elmar Magerramov

Baku 1 973

l .e4 cS 2.�f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.�xd4 �f6 S.�c3 a6 6.�gS e6 7.VMd2 �d7 8.0-0-0 �c6 9.f4 h6 10.�xc6 �xc6 1 1 .� VMxf6 1 2.g4 0-0-0 13.�g2 a

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1 3 gS! A nice positional move, taking control of the dark squares. The idea is well-known; it would be interesting to know whether Privorotsky had shown it to him specifically or if he improvised it at the board. 14.ghf1 ! VMe7 I SJWd4 gg8 1 6.£5 b8 17.gn gc8 1 8.�f1 VMd8 1 9.�c4 �g7 Sacrificing a pawn for free piece play. 20JWxd6t White should restrict the bishop with 20.f6, after which Black should respond with 20 . . . i.f8 (I think it would be too dangerous to try and maintain the pressure against f6 by burying the bishop in the corner) . 20 ...VMxd6 2 1 .gxd6 �eS 22.gd3? An unfortunate retreat square. After 22.�d l b5! (22 . . . i.xe4 23 .i.xe6) 23 .i.d3 or 23.i.b3 b4 the position is roughly balanced. ..•

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2S ...�f4t! The move itself is not that spectacular, but the surprise is that it leads to a forced win. 26.dl ggl t 27.e2 exf5 28.�xh6 ge8t 29.f3 �c1 30.�xf5? After 30.h3 �e5! is the simplest, as on the next move . . . g4 t will win the knight. 30 ... g4#! 0-1 An unusual checkmating scenario.


28 1

Do you have any information on what Privorotsky is doing nowadays? "He moved to Israel." How long did your trainer-pupil relationship last with Privorotsky? ''After three or four years I entered university. That is why I left the Pioneer Palace. At university, a national master, Alexander Morgulev, took over as my trainer. My luck continued; he was not only a very well-educated positional player, but an especially relaxed person. He helped me so much in learning to control myself and stay cool. We worked together for roughly two years. In the meantime I joined the club 'Burevestnik' . Bagirov was the trainer there. Our relationship slowly turned into a mutually beneficial arrangement and, I believe, into a friendship. My good luck did not desert me in the sense of having very good trainers. He was a great defender. I learned a lot from him." Didyou also train with Alexander Shakarov? "I met him often and he helped me a lot. He always had good information on what to play. I visited him many times. Let me emphasize: he is a very gentle person, a very nice man." How do you compare his efct on Garry, relative to Botvinnik's? "It is impossible to compare, especially for me, because Shakarov was my friend and was very close to me. They had very important but not comparable roles in Garry's career. Botvinnik gave him the base for his attitude towards chess in general - like how often to play, how to work and behave like a professional - but chess-wise, I think he had little effect on Garry. Nikitin implemented Botvinnik's approach and he was the one who transferred his theory into practice. Shakarov was his library. He is such an opening expert. Of course they analysed together as well." I saw they often published together their analysis ofShakarov's correspondence games. "Yes, Garry helped him with his correspondence games." Can you tell us more about the living conditions and chess environment ofBaku in the seventies, when you were both brought up? "There was quite an active chess scene in Baku. Bagirov already lived there, but he had yet to become a grandmaster." But regardless ofhis title, he was a very strong player. "Yes, indeed he was. He participated in several finals of the USSR championship. Actually I helped him in two events in 1 978. One was the Zonal tournament and the other was the Soviet championship. At one point in the 1 978 championship, he had something like five or six adjourned games and in all of them he was pawn down. He lost only one of these; in the rest he managed to salvage a draw. This was a great education for me on how to defend." In the following example, Elmar thinks that Bagirov's influence can be seen.

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Alexander Nenashev - Elmar Magerramov

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Tashkent 1 983

l .c4 c6 2.�f3 �f6 3.d4 d5 4.e3 e6 5.i.d3 �bd7 6.0-0 i.d6 7.�bd2 0-0 8.e4 dxe4 9.�xe4 �xe4 1 0.i.xe4 h6 1 1 .i.c2 e5 12J�e1 exd4 13.�xd4 �f6 14J3dl i.e7 15.�e5 �e8 16.i.d2 �g4! Elmar looks for active play in a worse position. 17.�g3 1 7.'lWc3!? if6 1 8 .'lWd3 g6 1 9.!%e l 'lWd8 20.'lWb3 White is somewhat better. 17 ...i.c5! 1 8JUl �d8! Black prepares . . . id6. 1 9.i.f4 �f6! 20.�e5 20.h3 g5 2 1 .ixg5 hxg5 22.hxg4 'lWxb2 Black has counterplay. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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22 .. J��d8!! A great defensive move, ironically putting White on the back foot. 23J�adl? Nenashev seems to be unable to adjust to the new situation, one in which he must defend. He loses without resistance. Best play would have been 23.tLle7t @f8!! (after 23 . . . ixe7 24.'lWh7t @f8 25 .h3 White is not worse) 24.tLlxc8 ixf4 25 .'lWa3t @g7 26.tLle7 ixh2t 27.@h l !%d2 White is struggling, although his situation is not yet hopeless. 23 ... fxg6 24.hd6? 24.'lWxg6t 'lWxg6 25 .ixg6 @g7 26.ic2 ie7 White's two pawns are not enough for the piece.

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Chapter 9 Elmar Magerramov -

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24 ...�f5 By now Black is winning. However, he still needs to play carefully to maintain control. Elmar is up to the challenge. 25.'i;Ya3 .be2 26.�e7 'i;Ye5 27.f4 'i;Ye4! 28 ..bd8 .bdl 29.�b6 The winner mentions the variation 29.El:xd I lDe3 30.El:d2 lDxc4 3 1 .�b3 �e I #. One can see why 27 . . . �e4 was a strong move! 29 �e2 30J�el 'i;Yxf4 3 1 .g3 'i;Yd2 32.'i;Ya5 gd8 0-1 ••.

Do you remember the particular moment you first met Garry? "I think 1 do remember. Once when 1 went to the Palace, in a room 1 saw a very small boy analysing with Privorotsky. 1 did not know who he was. He was playing in a team championship for the republics. Garry was representing Azerbaijan. He was nine years old, but he was already a candidate master. His name was still Weinstein. Soon afterwards, our relationship became a friendship and we often analysed in the Palace and played blitz games." What was Garry like as a child? "He was a small boy. 1 mean physically he was not very strong. 1 remember he was often ill. He was worried about eating cold things like ice cream or icy drinks. His mother, Clara Shagenovna, took care of him and really looked after him. He was no ordinary boy, since he was so strong in chess. He always spent time with much older people. But he was not too proud - he behaved well." Have you ever had an argument with him or did your relationship temporarily become bad? "No, there were no problems in our relationship." Did he have special words that he liked to use? Any examples? (After some thinking) "When we analysed games with other people and we saw things slower than him, if he spotted something he liked to say 'pizhoni' . You know, it means 'patzers'." I havefound 13 games between you and Garry. Is this the correct number or didyou play more games? Do you know your personal score against him? "Please wait, 1 have to work it out! Our first match was drawn 2-2 . 1 think altogether he is plus four - but funnily enough, in official games, it is plus two for me. 1 think we played 1 5 games and he is plus four. Hang on . . . we played two more, so altogether I 7! Wait a minute, 1 need to check on the computer!" Did you check your games with him since you played them? It looks like in your very first game, when you resigned he hadjust made a huge mistake and you could have played on. "I have not looked at these yet. It is possible. 1 looked back at some of my games from the past, but not these yet." (When we checked the game on the database, Elmar explained that one of the moves had been entered incorrectly, so Garry did not really throw away the win.)

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Do you have allyour games against Garry in your computer? (He starts looking at the computer) "I have all the games on the computer, 1 even have the date we played. ( The way he speaks about those games clearly shows they are precious to him. ) 1 think it is plus four for him. Two officially, 1 won two in the match." 1

asked him to show me the unknown games:

Elmar Magerramov - Garry Kasparov Baku 1 975

l .d4 �f6 2.c4 g6 3.�c3 �g7 4.e4 d6 5.£3 �c6 S . . . O-O 6.�e3 l'Llc6 7.'�d2 a6 8.l'Llge2 �e8 9 . l'Ll c l eS 1 O.dS l'Lld4 1 1 .l'Ll 1 e2 cS 1 2.dxc6 l'Llxc6! 1 3.l'LldS!

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1 3 . . . bS! 1 4.�b6 '!Wd7 l S .l'Llc7 �b8 1 6.l'Llxe8 '!Wxe8 1 7.�e3?! bxc4 1 8 .l'Llc3 �e6 1 9.�e2 l'Lld4 20.0-0 dS 2 1 .exdS l'LlxdS Black went on to win in Beliavsky - Kasparov, Moscow 1 98 1 . 6.�e3 a6 At the age of twelve and a half, Garry already played quite sophisticated openings. 7.�ge2 Lputian - Kasparov, Tbilisi 1 976, was another remarkable game: 7.'!Wd2 �b8 8 .�b 1 0-0 9.b4 eS 1 0.dS l'Lld4 1 1 .l'Llge2 cS 1 2.dxc6 bxc6 1 3 .l'Llxd4 exd4 1 4.�xd4 �e8 l S .�e2

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l S . . . cS! 1 6.bxcS l'Llxe4! 1 7.fxe4 '!Wh4t 1 8 .g3 �xb 1 t 1 9.@f2 �b2 20.gxh4 �xd2 2 1 .�xg7 @xg7 Garry went on to win. One can already see the signs of a future great player. 7 .. J�b8 8J�bl This time, Elmar is not interested in playing very sharp lines with long castling. 8 ...�d7?! Garry never gets active play in this game. Black does much better if he undermines the centre with 8 . . . l'Lld7. 9.b4 b5 1 0.cxb5 axb5 1 1 .d5 �e5 12.�d4 �c4 13.�xc4 bxc4 14.0-0 e6 Looking for dynamic compensation for the likely pawn loss. 1 4 . . . eS l S .l'Llc6 �xc6 1 6.dxc6 is also tough for Black. 1 5.�d2 Stronger would have been l S .'!We2! '!We7 1 6.�fe 1 eS 1 7.l'Llc6 �xc6 1 8 .dxc6 '!We6 1 9.bS and Black is in trouble. 1 5 ... 0-0?! Garry looks for play against the dS-pawn, but never really gets it. It was better to open the position with l S . . . exdS 1 6.l'LlxdS ( 1 6.exdS 0-0 1 7.bS �e8 1 8 .�gS '!We7 1 9.�b4 h6 is unclear) 1 6 . . . c6 1 7.l'Llxf6t �xf6. Black's position is quite playable. 16.�g5 �c8? Again, taking on dS was the lesser evil. 17.b5 ge8

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1 8J�b4 �b7 1 9.tlk6 The knight is very powerful here. 1 9 .. J�a8 20.a4 be6 2 1 .dxe6 The pawn is choking Black. 2 1 . .. �b6t 22.c.t>hl?! Stronger was 22.i.e3!. Elmar was probably concerned about 22 . . . i.h6, but after 23 .i.xb6 i.xd2 24.i.xc7 i.xc3 25 Jhc4 i.d2 26.i.xd6 1 think White wins. 22 ... �eS?! Black had more chances to free his position with 22 . . . d5! 23.e5 i.f8 (23 . . . tLlh5!?) 24.i.e3 i.c5 25 .i.xc5 �xc5 26JHb i tLlh5. He may still be worse here, but it is a big improvement on the game. 23JUb i dS 23 . . . tLlg4 24.fxg4 i.xc3 25 .�xc3 �xg5 26Jhc4 White is clearly better due to his more advanced pawns. 24.eS d4? Mter this, Black has no chance to survive. Relatively best was 24 . . . tLlh5 2 5 . g4 i.xe5 26.gxh5 i.xc3 27.�xc3 d4 28.�xc4 (28 .�c l c3) 28 . . . �xg5 29.hxg6 hxg6 30.�xd4, although White's extra pawn should be enough to decide the game. 2S ..hf6 dxe3 26.�xe3 White is completely winning. 26 ... .hf6 27.exf6 ged8 28.�xe4 �f5 29.�f4 ge2 30.h4 gdlt 3 1 .gxdl 9xdlt 32.c.t>h2 �el 33.9h6 geSt

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34.gf4 1-0 Though the main fight was decided on the queens ide, in the end Elmar won with a mating attack. Do you know that with your number of wins against Garry, you are ahead of many great players? Only Karpov and Kramnik have done better than you and Ivanchuk is just equal with you. You did better than Anand, Gulko and Topalov; they each won three games. (I was referring to games played at a classical time limit) "Really?" (visibly very pleasantly surprised) "I did not realize that. It is great for me. Garry did badly against Gulko." Can you tell me how many ofyour games were tournament games and how many were training games? ''Altogether ten of our games were training. The rest were official games. Hang on, 1 may have one game with him when his name was Weinstein. I'll make a search. Here it is, he beat me then as well; so altogether, we played eighteen games. Let me correct myself: in total, we had eleven training games." Let me show Elmar's second 'official' win over Kasparov.

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Garry Kasparov - Elmar Magerramov Moscow 1 976

l .e4 eS 2.ttlO ttlc6 3.i.bS a6 4.i.a4 ttlfG S.O-O ttlxe4 6.d4 bS 7.i.b3 dS S.dxeS i.e6 9.c3 i.e7 1 0.ttlbd2 0-0 1 1 .i.c2 f5 1 2.ttlb3 %Vd7 1 3.ttlbd4 ttlxd4 14.ttlxd4 cS IS.ttlxe6 %Vxe6 1 6.0 ttlgS 17.hgS White aims for a slight edge in a position with opposite-coloured bishops. The plan was known, as Spassky had played like this against Chekhov in a game in Moscow 1 972. 17 ...hgS I S.f4 White has a slightly more comfortable position, with a strong passed pawn on e5 and the more stable pawn structure. Black is quite solid though. I S ...i.dS In the aforementioned game, the bishop retreated ro e7. 1 9.i>hl i.b6

22.%V0 �acS 23.b3 B:cS 24.bxc4 dxc4 2S.B:fdl Elmar comments: "I felt there was no need to waste time by defending the pawn; 25 .�ab 1 is aI so strong. " 2S ... B:xbS 26.B:d6 %Ve7 27.%Vc6 White is on the verge of winning. 27 B:b2 .•.

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2S.hf5? This is a serious mistake. White should just divert the queen first with 28.�d7! . That would win, e.g. 28 . . .'�e8 29 .�xf5 ! B:xf5 30.�xg7t. Kasparov must have miscalculated - perhaps he overlooked Black's 29th move. 2S ... B:xf5 29.B:e6? As so often happens, one mistake is followed by another. White could still have stayed in the game with 29.�d7 Wi'f8 30 .'�e6t �f7 3 1 .�b7! .

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20.a4 c4? Better was 20 . . . b4!? 2 1 .cxb4 c4 with some compensation for the pawn. 2 1 .axbS as Elmar sacrifices a pawn in a less desirable way. He may only now have noticed that 2 1 . . .axb 5 ? was unplayable in view of 22.�xa8 �xa8 23 .�xf5 ! .

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29 YlYa3!! This attractive back rank finesse gains time for the defence. 30J�dl 30J%e8t was losing as well. 30 . . J%f8 3 1 .�xc4t @h8 32.�a4 �c5 The bishop defends two pieces with one move. 33 .�xa3 �xa3 34J%xf8t �xf8 3 5 .g3 !%b5 and Black wins. 30 Jhf4 Black can even afford to take this pawn. 3 1 .�U6!? Spectators love moves like this, but it is not effective. •••

••

all the games, as he wanted to practise the Benoni."

How was the idea born to make a match between the two ofyou, after he already had such remarkable results for a 15-year-old player? "He wanted to try variations, and we both wanted to check ideas. He suggested the match. We agreed on the conditions in no tIme. " .

Didyou have time to prepare, and were you told which line to play? "I had time to prepare. We agreed that we would play the Benoni, but I could choose any vanatIon agamst it. .

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What was your strategy for this match? "This match was for training; I certainly did not feel like it was a sporting event and I think his approach was the same."

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3 1 gxf6! Magerramov quite rightly calls his opponent's bluff. White soon runs out of checks. 32.YlYe6t m 33.YlYc8t g7 34.exf6t gxf6 35.YlYg4t h8 0-1 White is left with no compensation for the lost material. Elmar remarks: "We always practised variations which were in fashion." •••

Can you talk about your training games? For example, where were the games played? How did you decide who would be White? "Both of our training matches were played in his flat. In the first match, I was White in

Do you have any interesting stories related to these games? "These matches were very tense and we both took it seriously. Maybe that is the reason I have no special stories." Let me show Elmar's two wins from their 1 979 training match.

Elmar Magerramov - Garry Kasparov Baku 1979

l .d4 �f6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.�c3 ad5 5.cxd5 d6 6.�f3 Because Elmar rarely allowed the Nimzo Indian, he must know a lLl f3 system against the Benoni. According to my database, he has scored an impressive 6/7 against this defence, which he also employs as Black. Despite his wins in this match, he later showed his flexibility by switching to the line with �f4

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and h3 . He won all his games with it against decent grandmasters. 6 g6 7.e4 .ig7 S ..ie2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.a4 .ig4! In the same year Garry lost to Beliavsky with 1 0 . . . �e8 here. 1 1 ..if4 tLlh5 Suba played 1 1 . . J1*'e7 against Kasparov in the 1 982 Olympiad. Garry scored a very nice victory. 1 2 . .ig5 Y;Yb6 13.Y;Yc2 Zaid lost to Garry with this move in 1 977 in Leningrad, so there is a good chance that Elmar would have prepared for this position. 13 tLld7 14.h3 .ixa 15 .ixa h6 1 6 ..id2 tLlhf6 ..•

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Elmar forces Black to take on c4, but it costs time and the queen may well be placed slightly worse on d3 . Mter the natural 23.�xa6 �xa6 24.ixa6 c4 25 .<j;Jh2 cxb3 26.Wfxb3 tDxe4 27.tDxe4 �xe4 28 .ia5 (28.�c l !?) 28 . . . id4 29.�d 1 White has a small advantage. Also deserving of attention was 23.<j;Jh2!? Had Garry chosen the same plan as in the game, this move would have been quite useful. 23 tLlxc4 24.bxc4 tLlh5 25.�ael gabS .•.

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17 ..ie2! This is directed against Black's play on the queens ide. It is curious that Garry went for this position. To my eyes it looks unhealthy without the light-squared bishop. 17 .. JUeS l S.b3! tLle5 1 9.a5?! Elmar mentions that Garry did not like this pawn move because it enables Black to open the b-file and create some counterplay. It was worth considering a patient improving move such as 1 9.<j;Jh2!? 1 9 Y;Yc7 20.f4 tLled7 2 1 ..ic4 b5 22.axb6 tLlxb6 23.Y;Y d3?! •..

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26.hl Mter 26. g4 id4t 27.<j;Jg2 tDf6 28.e5 dxe5 29.fxe5 ixe5 3o.ixh6 �b2t Black is kicking. 26 ... gb2 27.ga Y;YbS 27 . . . id4!? 2S.tLldl gbl 29.tLlfl 29. g4 tDf6 30.e5 dxe5 3 1 .fxe5 tDd7 32.e6 fxe6 33 .ic3 tDf8 34.ixg7 <j;Jxg7 3 5 .�efl �b7 36.tDc3 White has compensation for the pawn. 29 gxel t 30.hel Y;Yb2 3 1 ..id2 Elmar plays carefully and tries to neutralize Black's activity, as he is well aware of his opponent's tactical prowess. 3 1 . ...id4 32 ..ie3 .ixe3 32. . . <j;Jg7!? or 32 . . . a5 !? look to be worth considerin g. 33.Y;Yxe3 Y;Yc2 This is ambitious, yet also risky and provocative. ..•

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37.Y;Vxc5! Now Elmar's queen will wreak havoc on the kingside, as the h6-pawn is extremely vulnerable. It is unfortunate for Black that his king recently moved to h7. 37 ... e4 3SJUl Y;Vcl t 39.�h2 e3 40.ge2 ge4 Alternatively, 40 . . . Wfl 4 1 .Wc6 Wf4t 42.cj;>gI �b8 43.Wxh6t cj;>g8 44.�e I is the end for Black.

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34.£5! Black's king is not well defended. 34 ... g5 35.tLlg4 �h7!? Garry plays for the win. Instead 3S . . . Wxe4 would have led to a perpetual after 36.lDxh6t cj;>f8 37.WxgS We I t 38 .cj;>h2 West. The best winning try was probably 3 S ... cj;>f8 ! ? Such a subtle move would b e typical o f Garry (compare, for instance, his great game against Jobava, Rethymnom 2003) . Play might continue: 36.lDxh6 (36.Wb3 Wxb3 37.�xb3 cj;>g7; 36.eS Wxc4 37.lDxh6 lDf4 38 .e6 f6) 36 . . . lDf4 37.�xf4 gxf4 38.Wxf4 �xe4 It seems Black is a little better in all these lines. 36.e5 dxe5? A mistake like this is a very rare occurrence in Kasparov's games. It was necessary to play 36 . . . Wxc4. Against this White obtains a perpetual after 37.e6 WxdS 38.exf7 �xe3 39.f8=W �xf3 40.We7t cj;>h8 4 1 .Wf8t.

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41 .Y;Vf8 1-0 Here is the second win from the same match.

Elmar Magerramov - Garry Kasparov Baku 1 979

l .d4 tLlf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.tLlc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.tLlf3 g6 7.tLld2 Elmar deviates from the first game of this match. 7 ... tLlbd7 S.e4 �g7 9.�e2 0-0 1 0.0-0 geS I I .a4 g5!? In typically uncompromising style, Kasparov secures the eS-square for his knight, hoping to generate dynamic piece play. 12.h3 Petrosian liked to develop the rook to a3

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here. Also Pinter beat Suba impressively with 1 2.:!:%e 1 , causing the Romanian Grandmaster to give up what had been his favourite line. 12 ... h6 13.f4 gxf4 14Jhf4 ttle5 1 5.:gfl ttlg6 A complicated middlegame has been reached. 16.:ga3 b6 17.i.b5 :ge7 18.�B a6 1 9.i.e2 :gb8 20.hl ttlh7 2 1 .:gb3 b5 22.axb5 axb5 23.:gxb5 ttlg5 24.�g3 :gxb5 25.ttlxb5 i.a6 26.�g4 i.c8 27.�g3 i.a6 28.�f2 Elmar avoids the repetition. 28 ... �d7 29.ttlc3 i.d4 Again Garry leaves the h6-pawn unguarded. 30.�el be2?! I would prefer 30 . . . Wfb7. 3 1 .�xe2 g7? 3 1 . . .i.g7 was safer.

After the straightforward 37.Wfg5 :!:%xd4 38 .:!:%e 1 White should not have too many problems converting his advantage. He is a pawn up and the black king is weak. 37 ... :gxh6 38.ttlxh6t h8 39.ttlxf7t After 39.:!:%xf7 Wfe8 40.i.d2 Wfe2 4 1 .i.c3t ltJe5 Black is still alive. 39 ... g7 40.ttlg5 �b5 4 1 .ttle6t g8 42.:gf6 �d3

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The endgame is rather unclear; all three results are still possible. 43.i.g5 ttle5 43 . . . Wfe4 100ks safer. 44.:gmt h7 45.i.f6 �fl t 45 . . . Wfd2!? 46.h2 ttlBt

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32.�h5! Elmar takes his chances against Garry's king. 32 ... :ge5 33.ttlB! Removing the important knight from the defence. 33 ... ttlxe4 After 33 . . . ltJxf3 34.Wfxh6t @g8 3 5 .:!:%xf3 Black is a pawn down for nothing. 34.�xh6t g8 35.ttlxe4 :gxe4 36.ttlxd4 :gh4 37.ttlf5? Perhaps Elmar tried to be a bit too clever.

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47.@g3!? Elmar does not want a perpetual. 47 ... ttld2 48.i.c3 ttle4t 48 . . . �e l t!? 49.@g4 �d l t 50.@f5 �c2t 5 1 .@f6 lLJe4t 52.@e7 �b3 Black probably holds. 49.@h4 �gl ? Elmar comments: "This puts the queen out of play just for a second. After 49 . . . �c 1 ! ?, or 49 . . . �d l 50.lLJg5t lLJxg5 5 1 .@xg5 �xd5t, Black is safe." 8

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only look for new moves but new concepts. Garry writes about this when he analyses his Korchnoi Benoni game (Lucerne 1982) . We had already analysed Benoni positions in 1 973 or 1 974 where the knight is under attack and Black doesn't remove it for a while. We already understood then that taking the knight on e5 leads to an immense attack for Black. It was planted in his brain. I think Garry also mentioned it against Nikolic in a Benko - instead of the bishop taking on a6, to play . . . i.f5 and . . . lLJe4."

Whose idea was it, his or yours? ''Actually it was my idea. Regardless of how good an idea it is; he used it roughly 1 5 years later."

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50.ttlg5t! ttlxg5 5 1 .@h5!! This is a brilliant tactical shot. To be fair to Kasparov, it was an easy move to overlook. 5 1 . .. ttlf/ 52J�xf7t @g8 53JU5 1-0 There was going to be an adjournment, as Elmar had to leave. Garry analysed for a while and decided to resign. The position should be winning for White, although most players would surely have continued for a while longer. How often didyou play blitz with him? "We did not play much blitz. We analysed much more. We both liked to analyse a lot. We both liked to find new moves. I did not understand this at the time, but as an adult I realized that the difference between us and other players was that we did not

When did you realize his enormous talent? "There must have been a moment, but lookin g back it seems I always thought he would become a very, very special player. In those days, unlike now, no young player played so amazin gly well." Fischer, Spassky and Karpov did, didn't they? "Okay, yes, but it was still such a rarity then." I think he was destined to become the best in the world. Do you agree that he had to become World Champion at some point because ofhis level? "It is hard to say. Had he lost to Karpov 6-0 it might have broken him or diverted him from chess. But on the other hand it is true, his level was so exceptionally high." Interestingly, you outplayed and beat him every time by catching his king, have you noticed that? "Did I? Actually once he beat himself, not me. " In the Ruy Lopez you tricked him with a lovely back rank combination (we have already looked

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at that game). He contributed, yet you did well and checkmated him in the end. (He did not say a word, but his body language showed he agreed.) "No, I have not noticed that my attacks brought me the wins." Out ofthe seven decisive games Ifound between the two ofyou, apartfrom the one whereyou blundered a queen, all were decided with a successful direct raid on the king. Didyou intentionally go for an attack against his king, was it a part ofyour game plan spotting that it was his relative weakness? "No it just happened like that, but it is interesting. We are both attacking players. Maybe the openings we decided to play helped this to happen. I always considered Garry to be tactically better than me, but I tried my best to fight. Of course he is exceptional in tactics, but I am also not weak in that department." Sorry for being hypothetical, but ifyou were to play a match with him, what plan wouldyou follow? "I think Garry is such an exceptional player. I would require a lot of time to work out a plan. Petrosian's case comes to my mind. He needed a long time to work out a match plan against Botvinnik." Did he solve many combinations to develop his calculation skill or is it more inborn? "I think it mainly comes from his amazing talent, but of course he developed it as well. Let me share an example. During a blitz game I was going to make a move, but before I made it, he told me not to do it - he saw a long variation up to the end in advance." How didyou finish in the tournaments you played together with him? ''At the Halilbeili Memorial in 1 976, when I became a master, I finished ahead of him. In Leningrad 1 977, I am almost certain he was ahead of me. I will check it for you. In Baku 1 980, he won the grandmaster tournament and I made an 1M norm." Did Baku organize such an event to help him and provide him with the chance to become a grandmaster? "It was one of the reasons for sure. I think Geidar Aliyev helped him while he lived in Baku. It seems to me he also supported him when the Korchnoi match was cancelled. While other powerful people wanted to give up on it, he pressed for the match to take place. If I remember well, Garry wrote about it." were you surprised by his astonishing results in his youth? Winning the Soviet Junior championship with 80/9, winning the huge qualification tournament and his result in Banja Luka where he won the tournament two points ahead of Smejkal and scored two and a halfpoints more than Petrosian and Andersson . . . "It was no surprise as his talent was clear to me. Maybe the margin was more than I expected, but his wins I anticipated. It was already clear in his childhood that he was special. When he was roughly 1 8 , he became very strong physically, from doing a lot of sport. He fought very hard over the board, yet as I remember he always behaved excellently, although of course nobody likes to lose.


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For example, I do not think he wanted to cheat in the Pol gar incident. He is not an easy person to approach, but he is a correct person."

Your first international tournament was the Baku 1980 grandmaster tournament where he won so impressively. Did you prepare togetherfor the event? "N 0, we prepared separateIy. " was the level ofthe participants difrent than what you expected? "I had no expectations. I did not know them. I met them there for the first time in my life. The tournament's aim was to help Garry make a GM norm or title. It was a tough time for me. I was about to finish university, had just got married, and was playing in this huge event. In the beginning I had problems, but I got used to it and in the end I achieved my goal - an 1M norm." What is Garry's best quality as a chess player? "That is a very difficult question to answer. (He thinks for a minute. ) Understanding. But it is very hard to explain. For example, the first strong player in Baku was not that famous but understood chess very well: Vladimir Mako gonov." I know his name well; in the Orthodox Queen's Gambit there is the Tartakower-Bondarevsky Makogonov system. "Botvinnik mentioned his understanding. I think he made the base for strong chess in Baku. Another example is Tal's special understanding, which for instance shines through in his Tolush game analysis. In a very complicated position, he writes ge 1 and White is of out dan ger. Tal gave no variation but his remark shows how well he understood the position. I think I have got it - Garry feels the hidden dynamic elements that other people don't sense. Actually, he talks about it in his DVD with Plaskett, where he explains this kind of dynamism." Here is the position Elmar refers to:

Mikhail Tal - Alexander Tolush Leningrad 19 5 6

Magerramov, Kasparov and Mikhalchisin

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1 8J�el! Tal went o n to win this game o n move 3 1 . You mentioned you had two training matches with Garry. One cannot really work out from the database when the second match took place. "I must check. I think in 1 982." By then he was already incredibly strong, probably the second best player in the world. (He checks it.) "Yes, it was in 1 982 for sure. He beat me very convincingly, 5 Y2-Y2." (When we check, it turns out that he made two draws out of six.) When didyou decide to become a professional player? "In the same year that I decided, I finished university where I studied mathematics. I could have gone on to specialize in mathematics, but I decided on chess. I do not know whether I would choose the same now. Of course, it was in the Soviet Union - there it was the right decision." In the 1986 Baku grandmaster tournamentyou finished second (Mikhail Gurevich won), andyou just missed the GM norm. Was it disappointing to miss the norm so narrowly? "It was not disappointing. I knew I was not in top gear because I had not recovered from working as a trainer. I had worked three years in Tunis. My result was still very fine." we were used to thefact that ifa local playerfrom a Russian republic had a chance for a grandmaster norm, he beat all or almost all the local people (even very strong players). What is striking in your case is that you made a minus score against Azeri players. Did you not yet have the level, or was it just unfortunate? (He laughs a bit, understanding the hint) "I lost to Sideif Zade and drew against Guseinov as I remember." (He checks the crosstable and says happily. . . ) "I took the second place, it was really goo d . " Did you still have any relationship with Garry in the eighties? Did you talk on the phone or meet? "When I returned we still met, of course not too often as he was a busy world champion, who was at the time preparing to defend his title against Karpov. He invited me to help him in the Leningrad part of his 1 986 match and I was one of his seconds in that match." From 1990, you started to play in the west - was it a big change in your life? "It was very nice to have the chance to see the world, though in 1 98 5 I had already been to Italy. It was also nice to play many tournaments. It was great for us - especially for me, as I did not live in Moscow and therefore had fewer chances." Who is yourfavourite player? "I do not have one particular player; I like the way Tal and Kasparov played, but I also like many others. By the way, above all I like logic in chess."

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Which is your best game? "I cannot choose one single game out. What is best? 1 consider most important what other people can learn from it." What do you think about learning from Kasparov? "Yes, you are right; it is very hard to learn from him - he understands dynamism so well, it is hard to follow." (With a smile on his face he says . . . ) "I play simpler chess." Let me show two examples. Speakin g as a trainer, 1 think that one can learn quite a lot from them.

Elmar Magerramov - Sergey Makarichev

37. gxf4 gS Black's counterplay is enough to draw. 35.£5 tt)c6? Black wants to improve the kni ght by transferrin g it to d4, but he has misevaluated the pawn endin g . Better was 3S . . . @c7. White has only the c4-bS route to invade, and Black has decent chances to cope with that.

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34.e4! White prevents the transfer of the knight to c7. From there it would cover all the important invasion squares. 34 ... e5 With 34 . . . g6!? Black could prepare the move he played in the game. It is interesting as it puts the pawn on the same colour square as the bishop. 3 S .ie8 (3S .g4 gS !; 3S .@d4 est 36.fxeSt fxeS t 37.@d3 ltJc6 Black is safe here.) 3 S . . . eS 36.@c4 exf4

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36 ..bc6! The zebra tries to cross the river but the lurking crocodile snaps him up! 36 ... xc6 37.g4? This is a wonderful example of how complicated pawn endings can be. I present Elmar's wonderful and, as far as I can see, flawless analysis. (I have added a few extra peripheral lines where I consider them relevant.) To begin, let's examine another substandard continuation. 37.@c4? White threatens to win with bSt, but allows Black to dose the queenside as he has the spare pawn on a7, which gives a vital tempo against zugzwang. 37 . . . bSt! This is the only move. 38 .@d3 Now Black must make a very important choice.

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a) 38 . . . h5? This move fails to prevent the white king from penetrating. 39.@e3 @d6 40.g4!? The king is close enough to g4 for White to open the route like this. Another route was 40.@f3 @e7 4 1 .@g2 @f7 42.@h3 g5 43.fxg6t @xg6 44.g4! and wins - but not 44.@h4? f5! when Black has no problems. 40 . . . hxg4 4 1 .@f2 @e7 42.@g3 @f7 43.@xg4 @g8 44.@h5 White invades. b) 38 . . . @d6! 39.@e3 @e7 8 7 6 5 4

As Elmar pointed out, this is a mutual zugzwang. After 43.h3 Black can utilize his spare queens ide tempo with 43 . . . a6! when White gets nowhere. Now, not 44.h4?? h5t 45 .@f3 f5 when Black even wins, but instead 44.@f3 is a simple draw. b2) 40.@f2! This is more dangerous. White aims for the well-known technique of triangulation. This forces Black to defend with great care. 40 . . . @f7 4 1 .@f3 g5! 4 1 . . .h 5 ? is not good enough: 42.@g2! (after 42.g4 h4! 43.@g2 g5 44.fxg6t @xg6 Black draws) 42 . . . g5 43.fxg6t @xg6 44.@f3 f5 (44 . . . @g5 45 .h4t @h6 46.g4 @g6 47.gxh5t @xh5 48.@g3 wins) 45 .h3 @f6 (45 ... fxe4t 46.@xe4 @f6 47.g4 hxg4 48.hxg4 wins) 46.exf5 @xf5 47.@e3 @f6 48.g4 hxg4 49.hxg4 White wins. 42. fxg6t

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Black should improve his king before making any committal pawn moves. Now White has two main ideas. b I ) 40.@f3 @f7 40 . . . h5? 4 1 .g4 @f7 42.@g3! and White wins. 4 1 .@g4 g5 42. fxg6t @xg6 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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42 . . . @g7!! Elmar shows that Black can also triangulate. Instead after 42 . . . @xg6 43.@g4 it seems doubtful that he can defend, e.g. 43 . . . h5t 44.@f3 Now king moves lose to 45 .h4(t) followed by g4, when the outside passed pawn will decide the game. And after 44 . . . a6 White has the spare tempo move 45 .h3!. 43.@g4 @xg6 44.h3 44.h4?? h5t 45 .@f3 f5 wins for Black. 44 . . . a6 44 . . . h5t 45.@f3 a6! is also good enough.

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The key for Black is that when the white king comes to f3, his own king must move to (or in this case remain on) the g6-square, so that the otherwise deadly h3-h4 (threatening g3g4 to create an outside passed pawn) can be refuted by . . . f6-f5 . 45 .@f3 h5 46.@e3 @g5 47.@f2 @h6! But not 47 . . . @g6? 4B.@f3 and wins as in the note to move 42 above. 4B.@f3 @g6 White can make no progress. Returning to the position reached in the game, it turns out that White can in fact force victory with: 37.a4!!

3B .a5! @d6 39.@d3 @e7 40.@e3 @f7 4 1 .@f3 Now there are two moves for Black. a) 4 1 . . .g5 42.fxg6t @xg6 43.@g4 Black will lose in a similar fashion to that seen in the note to move 37. 43 . . . a6 43 . . . h5t 44.@f3! (but not 44.@h4? f5) 44 . . . a6 (44 . . . @g5 45 .h4t @g6 46.g4 wins) 45 .h3! puts Black in zugzwang. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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This very subtle move is the only route to victory. White also threatens to invade. The difference it makes is that Black has to close the queenside, thus losing the spare move of . . . a7-a6. 37 . . . b5 This is the most challenging move. 37 . . . a6 3B.@c4 b5t 39.axb5 t axb5 t 40.@d3 Compared with the previous variation, the missing a-pawns take away Black's spare tempo. Thus he succumbs to zugzwang after 40 . . . @d6 4 1 .@e3 @e7 42.@f3 @f7 43.@g4 g5 44.fxg6t @xg6 45.h3 h5t 46.@f3!. Black has to leave the g6-square. If he had a spare move on the queens ide then he would draw, as we saw previously. 46 . . . @h6 47.h4 @g6 4B.g4 and White wins.

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44.h3! This is another zugzwang. 44 . . . f5t This is Black's only chance, otherwise he loses in what should by now be a familiar way. 45.exf5t @f6 46.@f3! This is clearer than 46.h4 h5t 47.@xh5 @xf5 4B.g4t @f4 49.g5 e4 50.g6 e3 5 1 .g7 e2 52.gB=Wf e l =Wf 53 .Wfg4t @e5 54.@g6. White is probably winning here, but there is still some work to do. 46 . . . @xf5 47.g4t @g5 4B.@g3 @f6 49.h4 White will soon decide the game by creating an outside passed pawn. b) 4 1 . . .h5!? This is Black's best chance to avoid the zugzwang situation we have already encountered. But it is still not enough to save the game against accurate play from White. 42.g4! h4 42 . . . @gB 43.@g3! @h7 44.@h4 @h6 45.a6! wins. This time it is a one-sided zugzwang.

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43.g5! fxg5 44.@g4 @f6 45 .@h5! h3 Or 45 . . . a6 46.h3. Of course, if the white pawn was already on h3 then White would be in zugzwang and the result would be reversed.

@f7 43.@h3 and White wins. 40.@e3

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46.a6! Black is in a lethal zugzwang. 37 b5? Sealing up the queenside, but Black has overlooked a clever resource. There were two routes to a draw, both relying on an amazing sacrificial motif. a) 37 . . . h5!! This is a breathtaking move. With this perfectly timed pawn sacrifice, Black can keep both wings closed. 3B.@c4!? This counter-sacrifice is the only way to try and stop Black from closing everything at once. 3B.gx:h5 b5 draws easily, as does 3B .h3 hxg4 39.hxg4 b5. Black's king will go to f7, followed by . . . g5 . Now there are two possibilities: a) 3B . . . b5t? Closing the queens ide is a serious error. It may look as though Black can block the invasion on the opposite flank, but in fact White penetrates after some remarkable play. 39.@d3 hxg4! 39 . . . h4 40.@e3 @d6 4 1 .@f3 @e7 42.@g2 ...

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40 . . . g3! The best chance, although it still does not achieve the draw. The function of this move is well hidden. It forces White's h-pawn to the third rank, preventing him from having a spare move later. Compare the line 40 . . . @d6 4 1 .@f2 @e7 42.@g3 @f7 43.@xg4 @gB 44.@h5 @h7 45 .h3! and White achieves a zugzwang. 4 1 .hxg3! 4 1 .h3? gives up the possibility of gaining a tempo with the h-pawn. 4 1 . . .@d6 42.@f3 @e7 43.@xg3 @f7 44.@g4 @gB 45 .@h5 (45 .@h4 @hB! - but not 45 . . . @h7?? 46.@h5) 45 ... @h7 46.h4 a6! White cannot penetrate. 4 1 . . .@d6 42.@f3 @e7 43.@g4 @fB 43 . . . @f7 44.@h5 a6 45.g4 is winning. 44.@h5 @gB 45.@g6 @fB 46.g4 @gB 47.g5 fxg5 4B.@xg5 @f7 49.@g4! @e7 Or 49 . . . @f6 50.@h5. 50.@h4! Finally a triangulation seals the victory. 50 . . . @f6 5 1 .@h5 White wins. b) 3B . . . hxg4! With the queens ide open, Black has to take the pawn. This forces White to spend time worrying about that side of the board, instead of just rushing over to recapture the g-pawn.

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39.@c3! It is even possible for White to go wron g and lose, e.g. 39.bSt?? @d6 40.a4 @e7! {not 40 . . . @d7 when White has 4 1 .@d3} Black can create a passed pawn: 4 1 .@d3 {4 1 .@dS @f7 wins} 41 . . . g6! 42.fxg6 @fS and Black wins. 39 . . . @d6 40.@d3 @e7 4 1 .@e3 @f7 4 1 . . .aS 42.@f2 axb4 43.axb4 @d6 44.@ g3 White is not slower in the race. 42.@f2 g6 43.@g3 The ending is a draw. There was also a second drawing line, although it relies upon the same clever sacrifice. b} 37 . . . @bS!? 3S .@b3 3S .h3? @a4 39 .@b2 bS 40.@a2 as and Black holds easily.

3S . . . aS ? 39.a4t @c6 40.bSt White invades effortlessly, as the reader can quickly ascertain for himself 3S . . . @c6? 39.@c4 a6 40.a4 transposes to the following variation with 3S . . . a6. 3S . . . a6? 39.a4t @c6 40.@c4 bSt Black blocks the penetration on the queens ide, but his chances to defend on the other side are worse than in the game, as he no longer has the spare move . . . a7-a6. {40 . . . h S 4 1 .bSt axbS t 42.axbS t @d6 43.gxhS wins for White} 4 1 .axbSt axbS t 42.@d3 White wins, usin g the familiar tactics of kings ide penetration combined with zugzwang. 39.a4t @c6 40.gxhS And not 40.@c4 hxg4. 40 . . . a6! This is the right move, leading to a perfect fortress. Note that 40 . . . b S ? is inferior, e. g. 4 1 .axbSt! @xbS 42.@c3 a6 {42 . . . @c6 43.@c4 @d6 44.bS or 43 . . . @b6 44.@dS} 43.@b3 @c6 44.@a4 @b6 4S .h3 White invades. Let's now return to the game.

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3S . . . hS!! Elmar's stunning idea works here as well. The alternatives are not good enough:

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38.c;t>d3 c;t>d6 39.c;t>e3 c;t>e7 40.c;t>a c;t>f8 After 40 . . . @f7 4 1 .@ g3 gS 42.fxg6t @xg6 43.@h4 @g7 44.@hS @h7 4S.h4 @g7 46.gS White invades. 4 1 . c;t>g3 c;t>f7

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42.�h3!! Magerramov intentionally loses a tempo in order to reach the h5-square at the right time. Makarichev must have missed this triangulation and was presumably counting on 42.�h4? g5t!. Now Black can block the invasion. 43.fxg6t �xg6 44.h3 a6 4 5 . �g3 �g5 Black holds. 42 ... �g8 42 . . . g5 43.fxg6t �xg6 44.�h4 a6 45 .h3 reaches a mutual zugzwang. Thanks to White's subtle play, it is Black's turn to move. 43.�h4 �f8 44.�h5 �f7 45.h3!? It is a practical decision to keep an extra tempo for the sake of security. 45 ... �f8! Black gives up guarding g6 early, but keeps the possibility of moving the a-pawn, thus keeping a defence against zugzwang. 46.�g6 There is nothing to be gained by delaying this, e.g. 46.h4 �g8 (46 . . . �f7?! 47.g5 wins) 47.g5 ? (White can still correct the mistake with 47.�g6!) 47 . . . hxg5 48.hxg5 �h7! drawing. 46 ... �g8 47.h4 �f8 48.g5 White wins this position regardless of the position of the opponent's a-pawn. However, the spare tempo does bring a few nuances to the ending. 48 ... hxg5 49.hxg5 fxg5 50.�xg5 �f7

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5 1 .�g4! Elmar wants to go forwards (and will) , yet he starts the invasion by going backwards. It is a nice idea - these are the things we love about chess. White spots the mutual zugzwang position and starts a triangulation in order to avoid having the move in the critical position. Makarichev is a decent GM, yet maybe he missed the winning idea. Inferior was 5 1 .�h5 ?? �f6:

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This is another mutual zugzwang. 52.�h4 (52.�g4 g6 53.fxg6 �xg6 54.�h4 �h6 and Black draws easily) 52 . . . g6 53.fxg6 �xg6 54.�g4 a6! Thanks to the spare move, Black keeps the opposition and draws. It should be mentioned that 5 1 .�h4! was an equally valid method of achieving the triangulation. 5 1 . .. �e7

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Alternatively, after 5 1 . . .@f6 52.@h5! a6 53.@h4! g6 54.fxg6 @xg6 5 5 . @g4 the king will penetrate.

to win such a position is not completely trivial. Elmar conducts the ending in model fashion.

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52. h4! f6 52 . . . @f7 53.@g5 wins. 53.h5 Black is again in zugzwang. 53 a6 54.h4! And in view of the inevitable king penetration, Black resigned. 1-0 .•.

I find the next ending very instructive as well.

Moscow 1 99 1

When I played through Elmar's games, I got the impression that he has a split personality in chess. In most of his games he is a tactician, but he can also turn into an extremely fine positional player. It is hard to predict which way he will handle a position. It is curious that most of his positional games seemed to come with the white pieces. He thinks it is because there are certain defences, such as the Queen's Indian, that demand a patient approach. In the present example, it is obvious that White has a clear advantage. At the same time,

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24J�c6! White exchanges one pair of rooks in order to have chances to invade later on. This is an important point: if both pairs of rooks were exchanged, then Black's drawing chances would improve considerably. He could follow the defensive plan demonstrated in the model game Flohr - Capablanca, Moscow 1 93 5 , in which the brilliant Cuban positioned his king on d6, bishop on d7, and pawns on b6, a5 and f6. 24 J��xc6 24 . . . @e7 25.�xc8! �xc8 26. tD f5 t wins a pawn. 25.�xc6 �a8 26.�d4 e7 27.� e2 b5 28.�f4 .ib7 29.�c3 d6 30.d3! The knight was very well placed on d4, but the king will be even better there. 30 ... g6 3 1 .d4 Now his king is beautifully centralized. In addition he keeps control over the c-file. 3 1 . �e8 32.a3 .ic6 33.�c5 Winning the d5-pawn. 33 .ib7 34.�xd5 g5 Maybe going for the rook ending with 34 . . . i.xd5!? would have given slightly better chances of survival. 35.�f6 �xe3 36.xe3 xc5 37.hxg5 c4 ••

Elmar Magerramov - Vladimir Goldin

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3S.tLle4! Magerramov nicely blends positional play with simple tactics. The king cannot go to b3 because of the knight fork. The remainder of the game is quite trivial. 3S .idS 39.tLld2t �eS 40.b4t �d6 41 .�f4 .ie6 42.�e4 h4 43.tLlfl .ieS 44.tLle3 h3 4S.gxh3 .bh3 46.f4 .ieS 47.f5 .ib7t 4S. �f4 .ieS 49.tLlg4 �e7 SO.�eS .ib7 S 1 .gG fxgG S2.fxg6 1-0 ..•

The next game, played in Andorra 1 993, is another interesting example. In a bad position, it is well known that reducing the opponent's pawns to one flank increases one's chances of drawing, although the following game shows that it is by no means a guarantee . . .

Elmar Magerramov - Tom Wedberg Andorra 1 993

l .d4 tLlfG 2.e4 e6 3.tLla eS 4.dS d6 S.tLle3 exdS 6.cxdS gG 7.h3 .ig7 S.e4 0-0 9 . .id3 B:eS 10.0-0 e4 1 l ..ie2 bS 12.tLlxbS tLlxe4 1 3 ..ixe4 B:xe4 14.tLld2 B:h4 I S.B:el .ia6 1 6.a4 hbS 17.axbS B:d4 IS.%Ye2 tLld7 1 9.tLlxe4 B:xdS 20 ..if4

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20 ... B:xbS? This looks like such a natural move. Black destroys all the queens ide pawns and it really looks like he will get away with it. He should have preferred 2o . . . if8! to defend d6, thus stopping White's knight from getting to a dominating place in the centre. Play might continue 2 1 .�f3 �hb5 22.'Llxd6 ixd6 23.ixd6 �f5 (but not 23 . . J:hb2?? because of 24.�e7) . Black is somewhat worse, but has decent chances to defend. 2 1 .tLlxd6 B:xb2? Black takes White's last queenside pawn and has no obvious weaknesses - or so it seems. Best was 2 1 . . .�b6 22.�f3 �f8 23.�ad 1 'Llf6 (23 . . . �d8 24.'Llc4 �f6 25 .id6 �xf3 26.ixf8 wins an exchange) 24.'Llc4 �e6 25.�xe6 fxe6 26.id6 �e8 27.ic5 . Black's position is really very unpleasant, but he can resist. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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22.%Yf3! Elmar needed very fine vision to notice that his central domination can force a win. He also finds the required strong moves to achieve the desired result. 22 %YfS 23J:�adl tLlb6 23 . . . �d8 24.lLlc4 wins, while after 23 . . . �c2 24.lLlxf7 lLlb6 25 .lLld6 Black is in huge trouble. •.•

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27 .tfG!! 1-0 There were other ways to win, but I awarded the exclamation marks for the efficiency of the text move, as well as its terrific aesthetic appeal. •

The following game features a nice blend of technical endgame play followed by a tactical explosion at the critical moment.

Elmar Magerramov - Vladislav Vorotnikov

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Beltsy 1 979

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l .d4 dS 2.c4 dxc4 3.tLlf3 a6 4.e3 .tg4 S.h:c4 e6 6.tLlc3 tLlfG 7.0-0 cS?! This is an unusual combination of plans. When the bishop goes to g4, it is more natural to play for . . . e5 rather than . . . c5 . It is somewhat risky to open the queenside as he may experience some problems on the light squares, now that the bishop is committed to the opposite flank. B.h3 .thS

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24 ..tgS!! Now this strong move is perhaps not too hard to spot, but to notice it in advance is remarkable. The threat of i.e? is really nasty. 24 £5 24 . . .f6 2 5 .i.c 1 ! �b l 26.�d3 wins as well. 2S ..te7 %YbB 26.%Ye3 hS .•.

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9.dxcS! Many players only appreciated how effective this exchange could be after the second Fischer - Spassky match. Elmar made the right judgement much earlier than 1 992.

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9 ...%Yxdl 10J:�xdl hc5 l 1 .g4 i.g6 12.ttle5 ttlbd7 13.ttlxg6 hxg6 14.g5! �h4 15.i.d3! Elmar explains the reason for this move was that, unlike I 5 .in , it works well against I 5 . . . lDh7. 1 5 ... ttlg8 I 5 . . . lDh7 could be met by I 6.lDe4!, sacrificing the h3-pawn for very strong compensation.

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1 6.i.f1 ! Rerouting the bishop to a better diagonal, while conveniently defending the h-pawn. Two years later in Tilburg, Kasparov played in a similar way after Petrosian put the bishop on g4 in a Queen's Gambit. 1 6 ... �c8 I 6 . . . 0-0-0! ? deserved consideration, using the king to support the sensitive queens ide pawns. 17.i.g2 �c7 1 8.ttle4 f5 19.ttld6t hd6 20.�xd6 �hc4?! It was better to chase the rook with 20 . . . <j;>e7. Then 2 1 J�d 1 <j;>f7 22.id2 retains a nice edge for White, but a long fight lies ahead. 2 1 .i.d2 e8-d8 . I never kept the score of this game. Later I again walked into a prepared variation in the Najdorf (I was again Black) with a knight sacrifice by the Russian Zakharov (Averbakh was his second) . I again innovated and drew." Lian Ann never turned professional, but he still made respectable results. He played first board for the Olympiad team at Lugano in 1 968 - the first time that Singapore participated in the event. Tan also played at the 1 970 event in Siegen. It was here that the heavily out-rated Singapore

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team achieved a remarkable 2-2 draw against Czechoslovakia. The 23-year-old Tan, rated 2340 at the time, faced the future world championship candidate Vlastimil Hort and defeated him. He finished with a superb 'plus four' score in the tournament (6Yz/9) . Lian Ann played again at the Skopje 1 972 Olympiad. Surprisingly, his fourth and last appearance in the biggest event of the chess calendar was 20 years later in Manila 1 992. He never had a fixed time for chess practice. Sometimes he would study for a couple of hours, followed by nothing for several days. He never trained at chess seriously - for instance, he usually got his opening ideas by playing through a few games from the latest Chess Informant. I quote him: "This explains why I was always in time trouble. I had to find the best moves (or what I thought was best) at the board." The Serbian Grandmaster Nikola Karaklajic went to train him in Singapore from time to time. He helped with openings that Lian Ann found problematic, such as the Scandinavian. Lian Ann talks about Karaklajic with affection. Because of his busy professional life as an accountant, Tan played barely one important tournament per year. With characteristic humility, he explains: "I never thought I was much of a player. I never thought of being a professional at any time." Despite his limited study time, he still qualified for and competed in two Interzonal tournaments, where he made even world-class players work hard for a win. To demonstrate the diminutive status of chess in Singapore, it should be noted that he had to cover all of his personal expenses at these events. His first Interzonal was the 1 973 Petropolis event. On the way to the tournament, he played in the US Open and finished third

behind Browne and Benko. He won $3,000, which was a great deal of money to him, as he had come from a humble family. Many countries would have paid for a second to help their representative, but Lian Ann achieved it all by himself. Here is a game from his second Interzonal, against one of America's best ever players.

Tan Lian Ann Walter Browne -

Manila Interzonal 1 976

l .e4 c5 2.lLla d6 3.d4 It shows courage to go for a main line against a full-time grandmaster. 3 ... cxd4 4.lLlxd4 lLlf6 5.lLlc3 a6 6.�e2 Tan is primarily a positional player, and chooses his variation accordingly. 6 ... lLlbd7 In this high-profile game, Black got into trouble using a similar set-up: 6 . . . e6 7.f4 iJ.e7 8.0-0 Wic7 9.Wie 1 lLJbd7 1 0.iJ.f3 0-0 1 1 .@ h 1 @ h 8 1 2.a4 :g b 8 1 3.g4 b 6 1 4.g5 lLJ e 8 1 5 .iJ.g2 iJ.b7 1 6.b3 Wid8 1 7.h4 g6 1 8 .iJ.b2 lLJg7 1 9.:gd 1 :gc8 20.f5 e5 2 1 .f6 exd4 22.fXe7 Wixe7 23.:gxd4 White had a huge advantage and went on to win, Kasparov - Short, Moscow (01) 1 994. 7.0-0 e6 8.a4 The moves . . . lLJbd7 and . . . e6 tend not to work well together in this variation. If anyone needs proof they should play through Kasparov's exemplary win over Short from the previous note. 8 ... b6 9.f4 �b7 10.�a VNc7 l 1 .c.t>hl �e7 1 2.VNe2 Quite a natural move. Of course one can also put the queen on e 1 as Kasparov did. Actually that is the most common move in the position. 12 .. J:!c8?! This is a very OptImIStIC move. Instead 1 2 . . . 0-0! should have been preferred. Its main function is not to bring the king to safety, nor

Chapter

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to brin g the rook into the game, although those things are of course important. In fact, the primary motivation is to vacate the e8-square for the knight! Mter 1 3 .e5 .ixf3 1 4.ttJxf3 ttJe8 Black is alright, as he can later coordinate his pieces with . . . �b7 and . . . ttJc7. A second drawback of the text is that the rook has abandoned its defence of the pawn on a6. When we consider the aforementioned points together, White's next move becomes obvious.

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- Sin gapore

1 8.�xe4 gxe4 19.a5! This advance opens the a-file for the rook, creates two passed pawns, and facilitates the defence of the e5-pawn. Could one ask for more from a single move? 1 9 ... bxa5 20.gxa5 .id8 In principle Black would like to castle, but of course the rook must remain on h8 in order to maintain the indirect defence of the knight on g4. 2 1 .gb5 .ie7? This loses further material. Relatively best was 2 1 . . . .ib6, although even here after 22.g3 ttJf2t 23.c;t>g2 ttJe4 24.ttJxe4 �xe4 25.�e l White i s a healthy pawn up.

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13.e5! White does not let this chance slip away. 1 3 ...hf3 14.�xf3 dxe5 1 5.fxe5 �g4 1 6.h3 White can also capture on a6 immediately. 1 6 ... h5? This is a witty way to defend the knight, but in the long run a drawback will become apparent. Instead Black should have taken the pawn with 1 6 . . . ttJgxe5 . The game Marjanovic - Jacimovic, Novi Sad 1 98 5 , continued: 1 7 . .if4 f6 1 8 .�xa6 ( l 8 . .ixe5 ttJxe5 1 9.ttJxe5 �xe5 20.�xa6 0-0 2 1 .�ae l �d6 and Black is in the game) 1 8 . . . �c4 1 9 .�xc4 ttJxc4 20 . .ic l f5 2 1 .ttJd4 c;t>f7 22.ttJcb5 White went on to win the game, but Black's position is not yet critical. 17.�xa6 �e4 Mter 1 7 . . . ttJgxe5 1 8 .ttJxe5 ttJxe5 1 9 . .if4 0-0 20 .�e2 White wins the h5-pawn.

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22.�d2! This intermediate move draws the sting out of the check after hxg4. 22 ... ge6? 22 . . . �xc3 gave better practical chances, as it loses less material than the game continuation. After 23 .bxc3 ttJgxe5 White still has to overcome some obstacles, although there is no doubt that his position is winning. 23.hxg4 White takes the free piece, and the rest is a matter of simple technique. 23 ... hxg4 t 24. gl .ib6t 25.gxb6 �xb6 26.�de4 �e4 27.b4 gh5 28.b5 gb6 29 ..if4 e7 30.gb l gS 3 1 ..ig3 �xe5 32.�a4

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�b8 33.b6 �d7 34.tiJec5t �c6 35.�el f6 36. tiJxe6 �a8? In an absolutely hopeless position, Black blunders another rook. 37.tiJd4t �d5 38.tiJxf5 �xa4 Black resigned. This was a nice win against a top class opponent. 1-0 This next game, taken from the same event, was against Uhlmann, who had been a world championship candidate in the 1 960s.

Wolfgang Uhlmann - Tan Lian Ann Manila Interzonal 1 976

White's last move was 2 1 .@h2?, vacating the g-file for the rook. He must have noticed the following tactical shot, bur evidently misj udged something.

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2 1 . .. tiJg4t! 22.hxg4 I suppose the East German grandmaster had planned 22.@g3, bur only now noticed the riposte 22 . . . ctJe3! 23 .�d2 ctJxfl t 24Jhfl �e6 when White has no play for the exchange. 22 ...'?Nxh4t 23.�gl '?Nxg4 24.e3 �e6 25.'?Ndl h5 26.'?Nxg4t .ixg4

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Black went on to win on move 54. He never let White have any drawing chances. Tan Lian Ann is predominantly a positional player. He said that he likes to add small plusses to his positions. He once built up a winning attack against Smyslov, bur lost after failing to make the most of his tactical opportunities. Tan Lian Ann went on to become a very successful businessman. He has sponsored a number of events and helped to reward juniors who have achieved titles. He has now retired from business.

Chapter 1 0 - Sin gapore

32 5

Wong Meng Kong

The second strong Singapore player I would like to introduce is Wong Meng Kong. I know this individual very well as I trained with him, and we spent a lot of time together walking and talking during tournaments. He provided me with some exceptional hospitality at his Hong Kong house. Wong Meng Kong also comes from a chess family. His father was a decent player and his sister participated in tournaments as well. The unofficial title of Singapore's top player was passed to Wong Meng Kong from Tan Lian Ann in the 1 980s. Meng Kong won the Asian Junior championships in 1 978 and he became the first Singaporean grandmaster. Since the early 1 990s he has been based in Hong Kong, but he still plays for Singapore. He is a psychiatrist by profession. He has played in a record number of Olympiads. Between 1 982 and 2006, he was selected eleven times for the Singapore team. He only missed our in 1 994 and 1 998. He was the member of the Olympic team when the country achieved its best place (33rd our of 1 08 teams) in 1 986.

Konstantin Lerner - Wong Meng Kong Beij ing 1 99 1

l .d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 �e7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.�f4 c6 6.e3 �f5 7.�ge2 �d7 8.�g3 �g6 9.�e2 �f8 lO.h4!? This risky pawn sacrifice was first played by Portisch in a 1 979 Interzonal game against Ivkov. lO ...�xh4 1 1 .Wfb3 �xg3 1 2.�xg3 Wfe7

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The stem game continued: 1 2 . . . iWb6 1 3.iWa3 'De7 1 4.'Da4 iWd8 1 5 .'Dc5 iWb6 1 6.'Da4 iWd8 1 7.'Dc5 iWb6 1 8 . .ie5 f6 1 9 . .ih2 ( l 9 . .if4!?) 1 9 . . ..if7 20 . .id6 'Dfg6 2 1 ..id3 'Dc8 22 . .ig3 a5 23.0-0 'Dge7 24.�fe l �a7 25 .iWc3 a4 26.�ab l iWd8 27 . .ib8! White had a superior position, Portisch - Ivkov, Rio de Janeiro 1 979. 13J�c1 tLlf6 14.i.h4 tLle6 1 5.g4 0-0 1 6.f4 White has built up a nice pawn chain, and Black needs to do something before it chokes him.

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16 tLlxf4!! Here is the solution to the problem, Black already has an extra pawn and now he sacrifices a piece for two more. This should ensure a good game. 17.exf4 Y;Ve3 1 8.Y;Vdl AI ternatively, after 1 8 .�d 1 'Dxg4 1 9 .�d2 ( l 9.iWxb7? �ab8 20.iWxc6 �xb2 and Black breaks in) 1 9 . . . �fe8 20.iWxb7 'Dh2 Black has lovely play for the piece. 1 8 tLlxg4 19.Y;Vd2 Y;Ve6 20.�f1 White has to decide how he should organize his defence. Black has decent compensation in all cases, for instance: 20.'Ddl �fe8 2 1 .�c3 'Dh6 22.�e3 .ie4 23.�g l 'Df5 Black stands well. Or 20.'Da4 iWe4 (20 . . . b6!?) 2 1 .0-0 'De3 22.�f2 'Df5 23.'Dc5 iWxd4 24.iWxd4 'Dxd4 25.'Dxb7 �ab8 26 . .ia6 �fe8 White is tied up. •••

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20 JUe8 2 1 .i.f2 Y;Vf5! This keeps an eye on the weak f-pawn and opens the e-file for the rooks. 22J�el tLlf6 23.i.f3 gxel t Black exchanges a defensive piece. 24.hel ge8 25.gh2 i.h5! He continues the same strategy. This will create more holes for his queen to exploit. 26.hh5 tLlxh5 27.ge2 Y;Vh3t 28.�gl Y;Vg4t 29.�h2 After 29.@fl �b8 Black gets a fourth pawn for the piece. 29 gxe2t 30.tLlxe2 Y;Vf3 3 1 .i.h4 h6 32.Y;Vel ? White i s likely to run out o f moves at some point, and so he decides to give up a pawn at once. Unfortunately he loses several more in due course. Better was 32.b3, e.g. 32 . . . a5 33 . .ie l 'Df6 34.'Dc3 b5. White can only watch how Black makes progress. Still, he would have had better defensive prospects than in the game. 32 tLlxf4 33.tLlxf4 Y;Vxf4t 34.i.g3 Y;Vxd4 35.Y;Ve8t �h7 36.Y;Vxf7 Y;Vxb2t 37.�h3 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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37 Y;Vb l ! With five(!) pawns for the piece, Black has a decisive material advantage. The only thing that remains is to guard against checks. The outcome is practically decided, and the remaining moves need no explanation. •••

Chapter

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38.a4 a5 39.'ilYd7 'ilYhl t 40.�g4 'ilYe4t 41 .�h3 b5 42.axb5 cxb5 43.'ilYxb5 a4 44.'ilYa6 'ilYhl t 45.�g4 h5t 46.�g5 'ilYe4 47.�xh5 g6t 48.�g5 'ilY5t 0-1 Meng Kong is unusual in that he is very close to being a 'universal' player, who is more or less equally comfortable adapting to any type of position. (He is probably best at positional play, but only to a very small degree.) He also has a versatile approach to openings. Often he avoids theory completely, yet on the other hand he occasionally prepares a very sharp line, as seen in the next game.

Chan Peng Kong - Wong Meng Kong

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14.dxe5?! It was safer to keep the position closed with 1 4.dS . 14 ...'ilYe8 1 5.'ilYd5?? This is a bad blunder. Relatively best was I S .e6 4JcS 1 6.ie3 4Jxe6 1 7.hS ib 7, and although Black has a nice position, White can probably survive. 1 5 ... �xe5! 16.�xe5 8 7 6 5 4

Singapore Championship 2003

3

l .d4 �f6 2.c4 g6 3.�c3 d5 4.�f3 �g7 5.'ilYb3 dxc4 6.'ilYxc4 0-0 7.e4 a6 8.e5 b5 9.'ilYb3 �fd7 1 0.h4?! Chan Peng Kong is usually well-prepared in the opening. Along with Goh Weiming, I would rate him as one of the most educated players in Singapore at present. 10 ... c5 1 l .e6 c4 1 2.exf7t?! gxf7 13.'ilYdl 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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1 3 ... e5! Black plays fluently. This novelty is fully in accordance with the spirit of the opening.

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1 6 ... he5 Naturally Black avoids the queen exchange. His lead in development is overwhelming, and his active pieces soon swarm all over the enemy position. 17.�e3 �b7 18.'ilYd2 �c6 1 9.�e2 gd8 20.'ilYc1 �d4 2 1 .h5 White desperately tries to conjure up some attacking chances, but the opponent's pieces are too strong. 2 1 . ..�xg2 22.hxg6 hxg6 23.gg1 'ilYc6 24.f4 �f6 25.'ilYd2 �h4t 26.�f2 �xe2 27.'ilYxe2 ge7 28.�xh4 gxe2t 29.�xe2 ge8 30.gdl 'ilYe4 0-1 Chan Peng Kong certainly had a bad day - he normally plays much better than this. Incidentally he is the one who, apart from Wong Meng Kong, has represented Singapore most often, with nine appearances at Olympiads.

32 8


The next game gave me special joy, as Meng Kong beat the outstanding Chinese GM Bu Xiangzhi, a former child prodigy who was once the youngest grandmaster of all time. I found it especially gratifying, since the opening was one that we had worked on together.

Wong Meng Kong Bu Xiangzhi -

Macau (rapid) 2007

l .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 The Slav was hurriedly taught to Wong by Tan Lian Ann. History had repeated itself. In 1 978 Professor Lim Kok Ann had discovered that Lian Ann was hopelessly unprepared for the Zonal in Ito, and so introduced him to this opening. 3.tL)c3 dxc4 4.e4 b5 5.a4 b4 6.tL)a2 We had looked at 6.lLlb l as well. 6 ... tL)f6 7.e5 tL)d5 8.Lc4 e6 9.tL)a �e7 8 7

The main alternative was 1 0.i.d2. Bu also suffered a defeat against this move, in the following exciting game. 1 0 . . . a5 1 1 .lLl c 1 lLld7 1 2.lLlb3 i.b7 1 3.�e2 0-0 1 4.i.d3 c5 1 5 .�e4 ( 1 5 .0-0 �b6 transposes to the main game) 1 5 . . . f5 1 6.exf6 lLl7xf6 1 7.�xe6t @h8 1 8 .lLle5 i.c8 1 9.�c6 �b8 20.0-0 i.b7 2 1 .�e6 i.c8 22.lLlf7t �xf7 23.�xf7 �b7 24.i.g5 i.d6 25 .�h5 c4 26.i.xc4 �c7 27.�e2 i.xh2t 28.@h 1 lLlf4 29.�e5 �xc4 30.�ac 1 �g8 3 1 .i.xf4 lLlg4 32.�e4 i.xf4 33 .�xf4 �f7 34.�xf7 1 -0 Avrukh - Bu, Biel 2007. 10 ... a5 1 1 .�d2 tL)d7 1 2.tL)c1 White improves the passive knight in anticipation of the ... c5 break. 12 ...�b7 1 3.tL)b3 c5 14.0-0 If 1 4.i.d3 �b6. 14 ... 0-0 1 5.�d3 �b6 1 6.dxc5 White has to accept that he has achieved no advantage. Now he keeps things simple, as it is a rapid game. 1 6 ... tL)xc5 17.tL)xc5 �xc5 1 8.�e4 g6 1 9JUc1 �b6

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10.�e2 Though we analysed Meng Kong's repertoire lines closely for some time, he would often forget them. I quote him: "It was a surprise to learn this natural move was a theoretical novelty, despite 8 5 games appearing from a search of an updated database."

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20.�g5! Most of White's pieces are pointing towards the kingside, so it is logical for him to focus his attention there. Black is not in any serious danger, but he should remain vigilant, as he does not have too many defenders in that area.

3 29

Chapter 1 0 - Sin gapore

20 ...hg5 2 1 .�xg5 h6 22.�h3 �g7! Of course the very strong Chinese grandmaster defends carefully. 23.�f4 �xf4 24JWxf4 VNd8 25J!dl VNg5 26.VNxg5 hxg5 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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27 ..ic4! White must organize his pieces in the proper way. There is no time for 27.f3 ? El:acB 2B.h3 El:c5 29.El:e l El:dB 3o.Ab5 El:c2 when Black invades. 27 .. J3fd8 28.8 �ac8 29 ..ib3 Meng Kong avoids 29.b3 which would place another pawn on a light square. 29 ... �f8 30.�f2 �e7 3 1 .�xd8 With the king centralized, Black was already threatening . . . Ad5 followed by a rook invasion on c2. 3 1 ... �xd8 32.�dl �c8 33.�e3! This enables White to meet . . . El:c5 with �d4, instead of having to put his rook on the passive square e l . 33 ... g4! Bu played this without hesitation. It forces a structural weakening because the white king no longer defends g2. If White decides to take on g4, then both his h- and e-pawns may become weak. One way or another, he is going to end up with an inferior structure, so he should look for compensation in other areas. 34.�d6!

The white rook becomes active. Dr Wong's strategy was first and foremost to play for safety in this game - but that does not mean he intended to do it passively. 34 gxf3 35.gxf3 �c1 Black could have won a pawn with 3 5 . . . El:hB!, but according to my analysis White can still hold the endgame. Mter 36.El:b6 Axf3! is a pretty shot, but too many pawns are disappearing. Play continues 37.Axe6 fxe6 3B.�xf3 El:xh2 39.El:b5 El:xb2 40.El:xa5 b3 (40 . . . �d7 4 1 .El:a6) 4 1 .El:b5 White reaches the draw. One can only speculate as to whether Bu calculated this and rejected it in an effort to keep more winning chances alive. 36.�b6 .ic8 37.�b5 �bl 38.�xa5 �xb2 39 ..ic4 �c2? Black should have taken the opportunity to grab a pawn with 39 . . . El:xh2. 40.�a7t �d8? It was better to defend the f-pawn with 40 . . . �eB . Then after 4 1 .�d4 El:xh2 Black is worse, but the game is far from over. ..•

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41 .�d4! The centralized king can be useful for both attacking and defensive purposes. It can help to neutralize the passed b-pawn, and might also head for b6 to support the a-pawn, or d6 to threaten the black king. 4 1 . .. �c3

33 0


Mter 4 1 . . .!d7 42.a5 8:xh2 43.a6 8:h l 44.@c5 8:al 45 .8:b7 Black is unlikely to survive against such an a-pawn. 42J!xf7 ga3 42 . . . @e8 43.8:f6 @e7 44.8:xg6 8:xf3 45 .a5 and White wins. 43.�b5 b3 44.i>c3 g5

45.h3! Black is stuck in a fatal zugzwang. 45 ... gal 46.i>xb3 gel 47.a5 This particular passed pawn should definitely be pushed. 47 ... gxe5 48.i>b4 gel 49.i>c5 e5 50.i>b6 �xh3 5 1 .a6 g4 Bu tries his best, but it is too little, too late. 52.a7 gal 53.�a6 gbl t 54.i>c5 gel t 55.i>d6 gdl t 56.i>xe5 i>e8 57.gh7 1-0 With an Elo of 2692, the Chinese grandmaster was Meng Kong's highest rated victim. Meng Kong played on top board for the Olympiad team for a long time. But later Grandmaster Wu Shaobin took over. He came from China and since the mid- 1 990s he has been working as a coach in Singapore. He says he has many more Olympiads to come.

Ignatius Leong

The Singapore team at the start ofthe Turin Olympiad in 2006. Wong Meng Kong on board 1 is furthest away. Ignatius Leong is standing behind him. On board 2-4, 1M Chan Peng Kong, FM Lo Kin Mun Dominic and Tay Ii-Jin Jeslin. The team beat Rwanda 4-0.

Chapter

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When one writes about Singapore's remarkable chess personalities, one cannot omit Ignatius Leong, the General Secretary of FIDE. He is not the first highly ranked Singaporean chess politician as Lim Kok Ann was previously the General Secretary as well, but he has unquestionably done the most for the game out of anyone from their island nation. He did this by establishing the Asian Chess Academy during the mid- 1 990s, in order to provide training for promising young players. The academy is best known for sending trainers to schools to give lectures. Leong is a natural leader. He has great vision and he is very good at setting goals and targets. In the Asian Chess Academy (the name of the company) pupils not only learn chess but also a lot about discipline. He has managed to introduce the game of chess to many young boys and girls. The ones who are talented and interested have a chance to stick with chess. He has fulfilled his first aim, as many of those he has taught now play in school chess and participate in tournaments. His other goal, to have several world-class juniors, is a slower process, but Singapore is on the right track. At the 2007 world youth championships, going into the final round they had four juniors fighting to finish in the top ten, although between them they managed only a single draw. On average the standard is much better than it was 5 years ago, and I expect them to raise the bar further in the future. Leong can often be found at the world junior championships, and even if he cannot make it he always follows the progress of the Singaporean representatives. After one of my pupils, Chan Weng Chee, lost two consecutive games, Leong called me instantly to offer his support. He is not only passionate about his native country, but cares about the whole of the south-east Asian region. This is something

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Sin gapore

I had not observed amongst Europeans, especially those in central Europe. I never experienced this in Hungary; sadly it was more the contrary. It would be nice if some of my fellow Hun garians learned to be happier when our neighbours experience success. In this sense, I learned a valuable lesson from the Singaporeans. As a chess professional, and later as a trainer, I never had a 'boss'. Leong was my first, and still the only such person I ever had during the five-year period I worked there. In my home nation of Hungary, despite having pupils like Leko and working a lot with the Polgars, I cannot make a living as a trainer, so I am sincerely grateful to Leong for providing me with steady work and helping me to feed my family as a result. In Hungary I generally receive little recognition for my efforts in chess, while in Singapore I was always treated well. I am sincerely grateful for that. Ignatius Leong is not only a fan of chess - he is also a fine player, as shown by the following lovely excerpt.

Ignatius Leong - Jonathan Grant Elista Olympiad 1 998

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This is a crushing exploitation of the weak king. 23 cxd4 24.'iNxd4t �f6 2s.lLlxf6 �c1 t!? Black tries a final roll of the dice. In the case of 25 .. .'�xf6? White wins easily with 26J�xh7t. 26.�xc1 lLlxc1 27.lLle8t! There are other ways to win, but the text is nicest. 27 @xh6 28.'iNg7t @gS 29.lLlf6! This final finesse leaves the victory in no doubt. 29 £4 30.gxf4t 1-0 •••

•••

•••

Jason Goh Koon Jong Teaching chess in schools has brought me many new pupils. Without a doubt, the best among them has been Jason Goh. My very first lesson in Singapore was with him, and I ended up working with him more than any other player. In nearly two decades of coaching, I have taught a lot of pupils and worked with quite a number of players. If I had to say who was the most talented, Jason would be rivalled only by Peter Leko. Peter has obviously gone on to achieve much more in chess, but the comparison is not entirely fair, since he has been a full time professional since he was a kid, while Jason has always attended school. Although their respective styles are contrasting - Jason is predominantly a tactician there are also many similarities, such as their calculation skills, determination and ability to orientate themselves quickly at the board. It is interesting that Jason's talent was not immediately obvious. In the beginning, we all including his parents - tried very hard, but during the first couple of months there was no special improvement. It was only about six months after we started to work together that his results began to take off. At the World Under- 1 4 in 2002, Jason played four or five of the players in the top ten in that age group. He scored about 50% against them and did not look weaker than them at all - despite being a year younger than his rivals. The following year he met the Russian representative who, in 2008, won the strongest open tournament in the world: Moscow's Aeroflot Open. After a quiet opening, Jason outplayed his opponent to reach the following position.

Chapter

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Ian Nepomniachtchi - Jason Goh Koon Jong World Championship U- 1 4, Halkidiki 2003

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Black is obviously comfortable, but how should he capitalize? 28 ... g5! This surprising move wins material by force. 29 ..ig3 he2! 30J�xd8t .ixd8 3 1 .tLlxe2 tLld5 Thanks to Jason's clever 28th move the bishop cannot retreat to d2, so White has no way to defend his c-pawn. 32.tLla3 tLlxe3 Black wins a pawn and the outcome is more or less decided. 32 . . . b5!? 33.4Jb l f5 was also good enough. 33.tLlxe4 tLlxa2 Now the young Russian is forced to jettison a second pawn. 34.b5 axb5 35.tLld6 b4 36.�e2 b3 37.�d3 .ia5 White has the better king, but he is too far behind in material. 38.tLle4 tLlc1 t 39.�e4 .ie3 40 ..ifl b2 41 .tLla3 tLlb3 42 ..ie3 tLld2t 43.hd2 .ixd2 44.tLlbl .ic1 45.g3 �f8! By improving his king, Black ends his opponent's resistance. The game is soon over. 46.tLle3 �e7 47.tLlbl �d7 48.�d4 �e6 49.tLla3 b6 50.tLlbl �b5 5 1 .�d3 �b4

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52.�e2 �e4 53.tLle3 �d4 54.tLle4 �xe5 55.tLlfl f5 56.h3 �d4 57.tLldl h5 58.g4 hxg4 59.hxg4 fxg4 60.fxg4 �e4 6 1 .�bl �a 0-1 After six rounds Jason occupied sole first place with 5 Y2 points. Unfortunately he was not quite able to maintain his form, and finished in equal fourth place, along with four others, and ahead of a certain Magnus Carlsen. I think he was as strong as anybody in the tournament. Right after the aforementioned event, the South East Asian games were held. It is something like the Olympiad, but only including the countries of that region. First there was an individual rapid elimination event, in which Jason defeated Zaw Win Lay (2495) from Myanmar. Then he faced the toughest challenge against Grandmaster Adianto, who was the number one player in the region at the time. Jason lost the first game with Black, but was able to beat his opponent with White when the Indonesian grandmaster needed only a draw. The next games, which were at a shorter time limit, followed the exact same pattern. In the final 'Armageddon' playoff game, Jason drew the white pieces. He had six minutes against five, but if the game ended in a draw he would be eliminated. Fortunately the white pieces once again brought victory, so he advanced to the next round. In the semi-final he met another formidable opponent: his team-mate, Wu Shaobin. Here is one of the decisive games.

Wu Shaobin - Jason Goh Koon Jong Ho Chi Minh City 2003

l .d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.tLle3 tLlf6 4.tLla e6 5.e3 tLlbd7 6. VNe2 .id6 7 ..ie2 dxe4 8.he4 0-0

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9.0-0 a6 10J:�dl �c7 1 1 .e4 eS 1 2.g3 bS 1 3 ..te2 cS? This a bit premature. Maybe the Chinese Grandmaster wanted to follow a Karpov game, which went as follows: 1 3 .. J�e8 1 4.a3 i.b7 1 5 .dxe5 ( 1 5 .i.g5 exd4 1 6.tDxd4 h6 1 7.i.e3 i.f8 1 8 .tDf5 c5 1 9.tDd5 Wfc6 20.i.f4 tDxd5 2 1 .exd5 Wff6 Black was a bit better in Av. Bykhovsky - Karolyi, Tel Aviv 1 999) 1 5 . . . tDxe5 1 6.i.g5 tDxf3t 1 7.i.xf3 i.e5 1 8 .i.xf6 gxf6 1 9.i.g4 �ad8 20.i.f5 i.c8 2 1 .i.xc8 Wfxc8 22.�ac 1 Wfe6 23.�xd8 �xd8 24. tD d l c 5 25 .Wfxc5 Wfb3 26.tDe3 Wfxb2 27.Wfc8 �f8 28 .Wfg4t @h8 29.�c8 1 -0 Karpov - Kramnik, Monte Carlo (rapid) 1 998. 14.dxeS l2JxeS 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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l S ..tgS! l2Jfd7?! Relatively best was 1 5 . . . tDxf3t 1 6.i.xf3 i.e5 1 7.i.xf6 gxf6! when White has an edge, but nothing too serious. 1 6.l2JdS �a7 17.l2Jh4?! It was better to combine play on both flanks with 1 7.a4!, when Black has real problems. 17 ... c4 1 8 ..te7? White continues to play on the kingside. Instead he should have played against his opponent's queenside pawns. One way of doing so is 1 8.b4!? 1 8 ...he7 1 9.12Jxe7t @h8 20.l2Jhf5

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20 ... l2JcS This is simple and strong. 2 1 .l2Jxc8 �axc8 22.l2Jd6? 22.�d5 ! ? was better. The knight seems to have occupied a nice outpost, but it lacks the proper support. This turns out to be a crucial mistake. 22 ... �cd8 23.�dS f6 24.b3 Playing on this side comes too late. 24 ... l2Jcd3 2s.hd3 cxd3 26.�dl Sacrificing the exchange with 26.�xd3! ? would have forced Black to find some witty moves: 26 . . . tDxd3 27.Wfxd3 Wfe7 28 .�d l �d7 29.Wfd5 g5! 30.f3 �fd8! 3 1 .tDf7t @g7! 32.tDxd8 �xd5 33 .�xd5 Wfa3 and Black wins. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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Chapter

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33 S

Sin gapore

26 g6! This is a wicked idea. 27J:�cl �b6! Black traps the knight on d6. The lack of support proved costly indeed! 28.tLlc4 bxc4 29.bxc4 gxd5 30.cxd5 �d4 0-1 Jason eventually eliminated Wu Shaobin in the decider as well. •..

In the final he faced Grandmaster Mark Paragua of the Philippines. In the first game he succumbed, after failing to draw a rook and bishop versus rook ending, and in the second game he drew. Despite the eventual disappointment, to achieve the silver medal before his 1 4th birthday was a remarkable result. In the slow-play event, he achieved an 1M norm. In 2004 Jason continued his rapid ascent, and won the Singapore national adult cham pionshi p. Perhaps spurred on by Jason's achievements, other Singaporean juniors also began to raise their level. One such case was Goh Weiming, who is a few years older than Jason. They went on to have several close fights at the national championships, including the following game.

Jason Goh Koon Jong - Goh Weiming

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1 8 .�c 1 ! exd4 1 9.c6! i.xc6 20.lLJxd4 lLJeS 2 1 .i.bS �ad8 22.Wc2 b3 23 .Wxb3 a4 24.Wg3 Wb6 2 S .lLJxc6 1 -0 Goh Koon Jong - Bui Vinh, Ho Chi Minh City 2003 . This game was preparation almost all the way. This secured him an 1M norm. 3 ... tLlf6 4.tLlc3 c6 5.�g5 This is the most ambitious move. 5 ... dxc4 Goh takes up the challenge, and enters the notoriously complicated Botvinnik Variation. These days S . . . h6, the Moscow Variation, is in fashion. 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.�h4 g5 9.tLlxg5 hxg5 1 0.hg5 tLlbd7 1 1 .g3 This move order was advocated by Lilienthal. The alternative was I l .exf6 i.b7 1 2.g3 . Now after 1 2 . . . cS White has no choice but to push his d-pawn, whereas in the game he gets the chance to do something different. 1 1 �b7 A potential drawback of Lilienthal's move order is that Black has the interesting option of 1 1 . . . �g8!? 1 2.�g2 �c7?! I do not rate this move too highly here. The queen usually goes to b6. 1 3.exf6 c5 14.0-0! I think this is the strongest line for White. 1 4.dS would reach a standard position. 14 ... �xg2 15.xg2 �b7t 1 6.0 0-0-0 .•.

Singaporean Championship 2005

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17.dxc5! In this line Black temporarily becomes very active, but he cannot achieve anything substantial. His position loses life and White can undermine his queens ide. 17 �xc5 1 8.YNe2 �d3 19.�e4 YNd5 Previously I believe only 1 9 . . . YNc6 had been played. But I think the variation is troublesome for Black. 20.YNe3!? This is an interesting move. Weiming did not consider it when preparing for this game. It stops . . . ih6 and attacks the a7-pawn. Even stronger would have been: 20.a4!? b4 2 1 .b3! The knight on d3 is Black's pride and joy, but it can be undermined. 2 1 . . .c3 2 1 . . .cxb3 22.E!:ad l i>b7 23.E!:d2 b2 24.E!:fd l 'lWa2 25.lDf2 White wins. 22.E!:ad l Weiming said after the game that he had feared this while at the board, although he had not considered it in his preparation. Indeed, Black does seem to be in some difficulties, as shown in the following sample variation. 22 . . .ih6 23 .ixh6 E!:xh6 24.'lWe3 E!:hh8 25 .'lWxa7 c2 26.'lWa6t i>b8 27.E!:d2 'lWxb3 28.lDd6 White wins. •••

20 �b8 2 1 .b3 White starts undermining the queenside. 2 1 . .ia3 This takes away the c l -square from the rooks. It is also useful to block the a2-pawn for the time being. 22.bxc4 YNxc4 Alternatively, there is 22 . . . bxc4 23.E!:ab l t i>a8 24.E!:fd l . It is difficult to find a plan for Black, while White can play h4 or slowly get closer to the c-pawn. 23J�adl E!:d5 24.YNe2 Another possibility was: 24.E!:d2 ib4 (after 24 . . . ic l ? 25 .E!:xc l lDxc l 26.lDd6 White takes the f7 -pawn, which is usually bad news for Black) 25 .E!:e2 E!:c8 26.h4 The position is complicated. 24 �a8? Stepping aside makes . . . lDf4t into a threat, but this is not really a useful move. Better was 24 . . . E!:c8! and after 25.h4 ib4 Black's chances are not worse. 25J�d2 �c8 •••

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26.�b l ! This is a very strong move, as i t not only threatens to fork Black's pieces on the third rank, but also restricts the enemy bishop. Now Black cannot play against the a2-pawn by putting the bishop on b4. 26 .icl ? •••

Chapter

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Not 26 . . . i.b4?? when 27Jhd3 wins. Instead it was necessary to wait with 26 . . . i.f8!. This may not look like much fun, but nevertheless it would have kept Black in the game, e.g. 27.h4 a5 or 27J�b3 ttJb4. 27JXxd3 .bg5

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32.�h5! The f7 -pawn is so often the target in the Botvinnik Variation. The present game is a case in point; once this pawn disappears, the same thing happens to Black's chances of saving the game. 32 ... i.d4 33.�xf7 i.b6 34.�xe6 c;t>b7 35.£5 gd1 36.h4 1-0 Black is powerless against the passed pawns. Jason was the youngest of the 56 players to have represented Singapore at chess Olympiads - when he played at Bled 2002 he had not even reached his thirteenth birthday! Here I show his most impressive win from the three Olympiads in which he has participated.

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28J;bb3! This precise move is forced, but strong. 28 .. J:�cd8 29J;bc3 �xd3? 29 . . J%xd3 Taking with the rook would have given White a much bigger chance to go wrong. 30J%xc4 bxc4 3 1 .f4! (3 1 .ttJf2 �3d4 32 .We5 �4d5 33.Wc7 i.xf6 is less convincing) 3 1 . . . i.xf6 32.Wh5 c3 (32 . . . i.d4 33.Wxf7) 33 .Wxf7! (after 33.ttJxf6? c2 34.Wc5 �d l Black survives) 33 . . . c2 34.Wc7 And White wins. 30J3xd3 gxd3 3 1 .f4! i.xf6 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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Jason Goh Koon Jong - Hichem Hamdouchi Calvia Olympiad 2004

l .d4 e6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 exd5 4.cxd5 d6 5.�c3 g6 6.�f3 i.g7 7.i.f4 �f6 Masters usually return to the main Benoni against White's chosen set-up, rather than trying the more eccentric development of the knight on e7. 8.�a4t!? This is a very testing variation, which is designed to disrupt the harmony of the black pieces. According to the database, it was first played by Wolfgang Uhlmann in 1 95 5 . 8 ...i.d7 9.�b3 �c7 10.e4 0-0 1 1 .i.e2 1 1 . �d2 is the other main line. 1 l ... b5 1 1 . . . �h5 is more often played, while alternatives such as 1 1 . . .�e8 and 1 1 . . .a6 are also well known. 12.i.xb5 �xe4 13.�xe4 �a5t 14.i.d2 �xb5 1 5.�xb5 .bb5 16.�xd6 i.a6 The interesting 1 6 . . . i.a4!? prevents castling queenside, but has never been played here according to my database.

33 8


17.0-0-0 gd8? Overlooking White's next move. It was safer to develop with 1 7 . . . lDd7. 1 8.ghel! White develops with a significant tempo gain, exploiting the weakness of the eighth rank. 1 8 ... tild7 1 9 ..ie3? White risks losing his advantage. Instead 1 9 . .!g5 ! was much better, e.g. 1 9 . . . gdb8 ( I 9 . . . f6 20 . .!e3) 20.ge7 (20.b3!?) 20 . . . .!xb2t 2 1 .Wc2 lDf6 22.lDxf7. White has a clear advantage. 1 9 tilb6? Black could have equalized instantly with 1 9 . . . lDf6!' 20.tile4 tile4?! Better was 2o . . . lDxd5 2 1 ..!g5 f6 22.lDxc5 gac8 23 . .!e3 .!f8 24.b4. Black wins back his pawn with an equal game. 2 1 .b3 tilxe3?! 2 1 . . .lDb2 Probably it is better to win the exchange for the knight rather than the bishop. 22.d6 lDxd l 23.gxd l '!e2 24.gd5 The position is equal. •••

preferred 24 . . . .!xc3 2 5 .gxc3 .!xd5 with decent chances to hold. 25.@e2 he3 26.fxe3 Black has won a tiny amount of material, but suddenly he has no active piece. In particular, the b7-bishop has no bright prospects whatsoever. 26 5 27.gd4 h6? The position was already bad, but wasting time with pawns moves was not the way to improve it. 28.tile5 @g7 29.tilxe4 White has the second pawn in the bag. His winning chances are good. 29 ... gae8 ..•

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22.gxe3! White sacrifices an exchange. In return he eliminates Black's best piece and a pawn. 22 ... e4 23.b4 .ib7 24.tile3 .ih6?! Black cannot resist the bait. He should have

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30.@b3! White plays the next eleven moves with impressive power. 30 ... g5 3 1 .g3 ge7 32.d6! gf7 33.b5 .ie8 34.@b4! In addition to his other trumps, White's king has now become a real force as well. 34 ge8 35.a4 .ie6 36.tile5! Jason improves his good knight so it becomes an even better one. 36 ... gb7 37.tild3 gf7 38.tile5! This is an ideal square for the knight. 38 ....id7 39.tild5! White's domination in the centre is unbearable for the Moroccan grandmaster. ..•

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Chapter

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39 .. J�e5 40.a5! White's queenside pawns decide. 40 ...Ae8 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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41 .a6! White is winning - his pawns are simply too powerful. Black tries a desperate sacrifice, but it is all in vain. 41. .. £4 42.gxf4 gxf4 43.exf4 �e2 44.t2k3 �b2t 45.�a3 �xh2 46.d7 hd7 47.tihd7 �h5 48.�b4 �hfS 49.b6 axb6 50.ttlb5 �xf4 5 1 .a7 �xd4t 52.ttlxd4 �xd7 53.ttlfSt 1-0

-

Sin gapore

339

Mter this event Jason went on to win the National Championship of Singapore. However, the school system is so demanding that after this tournament he virtually stopped playing chess. He came back from this 'retirement' to make a grandmaster norm. He was 1 4 when he achieved the norm, and even attended school during the event. To score a grandmaster norm at this age may even be a record for a player who has always attended school. In a way it is sad; had he stopped school for a year he would have clearly made the highest title, possibly a medal at the World Youth, but he virtually stopped playing chess because of school. Still, there is no doubt that he has left his mark on Singaporean chess. Since this pioneering effort, the average standard of Singaporean juniors has improved significantly. However, at the present time nobody has reached Jason Goh's level. Maybe it is more important that he has proved that one can be a world-class under- 1 4 player, even though he or she attends school. My own opinion as a coach is that it can be done if one can devote one and a half or two hours to chess on weekdays and five hours on both Saturday and Sunday.

Tan Lian Ann Eugenio Torre World championship candidate; First Asian to achieve the title of International Grandmaster: "He is a man for whom players have a high regard, because he is a great and very accomplished man outside of chess. He is a great tactician, very good during complications! The only suspect element of his game was his opening play, maybe because he had little time to study. His talent is natural."

Nikola Karaklajic Strong International Master; Participant in many finals of the Yugoslav championship: "I first met the promising I S-year-old Tan Lian Ann in 1 963 . In that year, he was crucial in deciding the outcome of the World Junior Championship by beating the tournament favourite, USSR player Zakharov. Subsequently, Tan Lian Ann played in many tournaments (he played twice in Interzonals) and met players such as Smyslov, Keres, Bronstein, Geller, Polugaevsky, Panno, Pachman, Torre, Hort etc. Having captained the Singapore Olympiad Team four times, I helped him to pick up some openings. He was a model chess player - smart, polite, obedient, imaginative, orderly, persistent, courageous . . . Naturally, it was my pleasure to be in his company."

Jason Goh Koon Jong Utut Adianto Best ever Indonesian player, who was number one player in his country for more than 2S years: "Jason Goh is the player I met in the second round of Rapid Chess in SEA Games 2003, which took place in Saigon - now Ho Chi Minh City. The tournament consisted of 1 6 players, using the knockout system. In the first match, I met Brunei's Hirawan, whom I beat 2-0 . In the first game against Goh I won easily, confirming my view that it would be another 'rest day' before battling in the semi-final and final! Things changed when I lost to this young player (at the time I was unaware just how young!) in the second game. Then matters went from bad to worse, and I was eliminated after the tie-break! Soon after losing, I realized this boy is a genuine product ofIgnatius Leong's School of Chess. He has everything that it takes to be a strong Grandmaster. Only the culture and environment are not in his favour - it is difficult to make a living by playing chess in Singapore, where 'time really is money!' I hope that one day soon there is a Singaporean who can bravely choose chess as a profession, with all the difficulties that entails! Surely if that happens it will give more colour to South East Asian Chess."

Chapter

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- Sin gapore

34 1

Wong Meng Kong Paul Motwani Scotland's first grandmaster; World Under- I 7 champion 1 978; Seven-time Scottish champion: "Wong Meng Kong really became a good friend when my family and I started visiting and staying at his home in Hong Kong. My wife's family live in Shenzhen, not far from Hong Kong, and it has become a special treat for us to visit Wong Meng Kong and his family. On the chess side, I can only report that Wong Meng Kong and I have faced each other in two proper games: at the 1 978-79 World Under- I 7 Championship in Sas Van Gent, Holland, and in the 2000 Istanbul Olympiad. We talked a lot after our draw in Istanbul, and the next year we started meeting up in Hong Kong! Our very first game, way back 30 years ago, was much tougher though . . . I recall feeling that I really had to struggle for a draw as Black in a Ruy Lopez. True Spanish torture! However, I finally hung on for a vital half-point (in round 8 of the I I -round event) and went on to win that World Championship. The other main thought I have about Kong's chess is that he's extremely creative and unpredictable! So, if you ever have to face Kong over the board . . . expect the unexpected!!"

Wu Shaobin Played for China and Singapore at several Olympiads: "I met Wong Meng Kong for the first time during the second Singapore Pool's Invitational GM Tournament in 1 997. In this particular tournament, Meng Kong missed the GM norm by half a point but his performance did enough to leave a lasting impression on me. Through this tournament, I obtained a greater understanding of the standards of Singaporean Chess. Meng Kong is one of the country's best players. Together, we participated in the 2000, 2002 and 2006 World Chess Olympiads. However, I assumed the captain's role during the 2006 Olympiad, which allowed me to have more time and opportunities to assist him in both analysis and preparation. This inevitably gave me a greater understanding of his chess playing style and capabilities. Meng Kong is a classic example of a strategic player. Perhaps due to his busy working schedule as a psychiatrist, Meng Kong does not have the time for serious theoretical opening preparation. As a result, his openings tend to be less complicated and his theoretical preparation tends to be lacking in depth. However, his middlegame and endgame abilities are tremendous. I noticed that whenever he achieved a slight advantage in the middlegame, he would, more often then not, progress seamlessly into the endgame, maintaining that slight advantage and converting the win by slowly increasing his minute advantage."

Chapter 1 1

Oleg Pervakov

The Moscow Magician

Oleg Pervakov in Bled 2002, visiting the Chess Olympiad I have been fortunate enough to play against some of the truly great icons of the chess world, including Kasparov, Tal and Anand. Peter Leko was my pupil, and I also worked frequently with the Polgar sisters . I have played against all the excellent Hungarians, even the older grandmasters like Barcza and Szabo. I have written books about exceptional players like Judit, Kasparov and Karpov, and wrote a long article on Fischer. They are all special individuals who are known by chess fans around the world. However, if I have to select whom I consider the greatest of the less well-known personalities in chess society, without any hesitation, I would vote for Oleg Pervakov. Pervakov is not famous, but he is a special talent whose artistry deserves a wider audience. Some Russian chess fans may know of his name, but few are acquainted with his masterpieces . When I ask chess followers from other parts of the world whether they know who Oleg Pervakov is, they almost always shake their heads in response. But when I show them one of his beautiful studies, they shake their heads in disbelief! These people are chess lovers and would go to a simul by a famous player, but they would not have attended a Pervakov lecture, where he would reveal his finest achievements.

Chapter

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343

- Oleg Pervakov

I met him only for five minutes, completely by chance, in a travel agency in Turin during the Olympiad of2006. I was queueing up for a ticket when I noticed there were some Russian people in front of me in the line. AB they were speaking, I listened to see whether I could understand at all. I do not remember what they were talking about. Perhaps I did not understand or I may have just found their conversation uninteresting. But then one of the ladies at the agency asked for one of the customer's names, and to my overwhelming surprise, I heard the man state the name of my very favourite composer! I could not help myself, and told him in Russian that I respected his work. I obtained his e-mail address, although we never corresponded. More recently, after starting work on the present book, I contacted Oleg and explained that I wished to devote a chapter to my favourite composer. Happily, both for myself and for the reader, he agreed. If I may digress sli ghtly, I will mention that my own passion for compositions, and particularly endgame studies, was sparked as a junior by reading The Tactics of Endgames, a superb book by Jeno Ban. Later, I played for one year in the Budapest Club, Tipografia, where 1M Laszlo Navarovszky was the captain. A keen composer himself, Laszlo was keen to encourage others and so there was even a dedicated composition section of the club. Years later, Peter Gyarmati (another excellent composer) passed on to me a fairly big composition database. I went through it for the sheer joy, but also I wanted to add some instructive examples to endgames I already knew and used for teachin g my pupils. I was already lookin g for Pervakov's studies. I had so much pleasure looking at Pervakov's endgame studies, I feel compelled to share them with the readers of this book. As a result, I hope that more people will come to know of him and his works, and that those already acquainted will gain an even deeper appreciation for the man and his studies. The world deserves to hear about this little-known genius and his masterpieces! I remember Yochanan Afek (featured in Chapter 2) , another highly regarded composer and a good friend of mine, once telling me that Oleg Pervakov was the best composer of our time. It is fitting that we begin with a study that Yochanan showed me when stayin g with me in Kecskemet.

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White to play and win

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l .Ab3 This looks like a simple win, but Black has some resources. 1 . cit>e6 2.�f4t cit>d6! Mter 2 . . . @e5 3.ttJxg6t @d4 4.@g2 the extra g-pawns ensure White's victory. 3.hd5 Taking the pawn is ineffective now: 3.ttJxg6 ttJe3! 4.ttJf4 @e5 5 . g6 ttJxg4 6.g7 ttJh6 7.ttJg2 i.b7 8.g8=Wf ttJxg8 9.i.xg8 i.d5! Mter this simplification Black will take the a2-pawn, and luckily for Black the knight is too far away to catch Black's king in the corner. 1 0.i.xd5 @xd5 1 1 .@gl @d4 1 2.@f2 @c3 1 3.@e2 @b2 1 4.@d2 @xa2 1 5 .@c2 @a l Followed by 1 6 . . . a2 and a stalemate. If the knight stood on e2 then 1 6.ttJc1 would win. If the knight was on d2, it would be a mutual zugzwang. 3 ... cit>e5! Black threatens to win back a piece and then draw because of his dominating king. 4.�e6! Ac8 Black obviously has to try and regain the lost piece, and 4 . . . @xd5 5 . ttJ c7t will not do. 5.�c7 cit>d6 •.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h 6.�a8! This is a stunning way in which to hang on to the piece. A great composer can utilize all 64 squares on the chessboard!

6 ...hg4 This is the most resilient move. Black regains a small unit of material while, more importantly, placing his bishop well away from any troublesome knight checks. Other moves offer little resistance, one example being 6 . . . i.a6 7.@h2! and the approach of the king is decisive, while Black still cannot take the bishop. 7.�b6 White's task is still far from trivial. If his bishop moves along the h l -a8 diagonal, then the a2-pawn will be lost. 7.i.f7 allows 7 . . . i.f3t, followed by 8 .@h2 i.xa8 9 .i.xg6 i.d5 , when White has no chance to win. 7 ... cit>c5 8.�c4! It seemed as though the black bishop had escaped, but it turns out that it is still within forking distance! 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a

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8 ...Ae2! Black is not ready to give up yet! If instead 8 . . . i.f5 , then 9.i.f7 would win easily. The text leaves both of White's pieces en prise, so his next move is forced. 9.�e3 cit>d4 Once again White must find a clever way to retain his extra piece. l O.�g2!

Chapter

11

- Ole g Pervakov

34 5

Mter an amazing journey, White's knight returns to the square where it was at the start of the study. 1 0 . .

Genius in the Background

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Background

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The Genius

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the Genius

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Einstein Defiant: Genius versus Genius in the Quantum Revolution

Einstein Defiant: Genius versus Genius in the Quantum Revolution

Three Tactics: The Background in Marx

The Hate Genius

The Genius Thieves

The Genius of China

The Genius Wars

Background of the Middle East

The New Background of Science

The Genius in All of Us

The Murder Genius

The Genius Wars

The Negro Genius

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The Genius Wars

Genius in the Background

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Background

Background

Background

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The Genius

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The Cosmic Microwave Background

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the Genius

The Genius

The Genius

Genius

The Cosmic Microwave Background

Einstein Defiant: Genius versus Genius in the Quantum Revolution

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Three Tactics: The Background in Marx

The Hate Genius

The Genius Thieves

The Genius of China

The Genius Wars

Background of the Middle East

The New Background of Science

The Genius in All of Us

The Murder Genius

The Genius Wars

The Negro Genius

The Genius Factory

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